Dance of Darkness
by OperationJonny
Summary: Sequel to Rebirth of a Shadow. History rewritten, and new chance for a better future. But a new evil has risen to threaten all that Dark sought to protect. Himself. Can he control the evil spirit within him from destroying all he's achieved?
1. Hes Back, in Black, and Now, with a Cow!

**Dance Of Darkness.**

The Sequel to When You Give Shadow Life

**Prologue.**

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Roen walked into the bar, early in the morning, looking up at the rosy morning skies. "Another day, another story…" He said to himself, walking in, and sitting himself at the usual spot. He ordered a beer, and a dark haired woman handed him the pint with a disappointed look in her eyes. "It's not even mid-day Roen." She said, and he grinned, passing her the gold. "'Tis ok, I can hold off till evening, Dawn." He said, and she shrugged, as she walked into the backroom. He sipped the drink, casting a shadow over the wall of his thin frame by the rising sun pouring in through the windows in golden rays.

Then, suddenly, the four children burst into the bar, and ran up to Roen. "Uncle Roen! Finish the story!" They all exclaimed, and Roen laughed as they jumped all over him. "Calm down you guys! Then I'll tell ya, pull up stools, it's about time I spun another yarn…" He said, as he turned around in his seat, lit his pipe, and lime green smoke unfurled from the pipe, giving him a strange ambience. "Now, everything had become normal, a golden era all over Hyrule, but, unfortunately, no one had known what he or Dark had done for them all, and they all lived in an ignorant bliss… but not Dark."

Dark rolled over in his bed, grunting in his sleep, seeing strange images in his head, of a strange shadowy figure, watching him from a pocket of his mind that he couldn't seem to reach into. He woke up with a start when he heard a moo in his bedroom. "What the hell?" He exclaimed, sitting up quickly, as he spotted a large cow in his bedroom. "What… the… fuck." He said, walking over to the cow. There was a note on an end table near the cow, and it said. "Here's the fucking cow, you bastard. –Link" and Dark cracked up in laughter as the memories of the reverted future flooded into him. But what shocked him were new memories flooding into his head, memories of his childhood, the childhood he never had. Then he realized that he was 12.

He threw on his black tunic, and noticed a blade leaning up against his drawers. Approaching it, he realized it wasn't the Anti-Master Sword. It was just a normal looking long sword, and there was a note attached to the sheath. "It's not as good as what you once had, but it's better than nothing for a little while. The royal smithies made it, so treasure it. –Zelda." And Dark unsheathed the blade where the hilt was very mundane, a deep black color; the blade was a polished silver color, with the distinct Tri-Force carved above the hand guard. "Oooo… Shiny…." He said with a smile, as he put it back, and necklaces on his drawer caught his eye.

It was the necklace Sheik and Julane gave him, one a black triangle, the other a black pearl on a silver chain, as was the other necklace. He slipped them both on, with a smile, and walked into the dining room. His mother greeted him with a warm smile, and a gleam in her eyes that said that she knew what he had did. "Sit down and eat Requaem…" She said, sitting him down, and handed him a plate of bacon and eggs, along with some toast. "…You need to work up strength for your quest." And Dark choked on his food.

"What quest? I just got here… I mean…" He sputtered, finishing with a sheepish grin. Julane nibbled on her toast. "Requaem's being more crazy today then usual…" She said, blankly staring at him, as trying to learn something by looking at him. "Um… heh, what quest was this again?" Dark asked with a laugh. " Memory lapse, bro? You said you needed to learn something about yourself, and the only way to learn this 'thing' about yourself, was to go out, and adventure." Then the dark realization hit him. There was that evil being in him… the Lost God… He stared darkly down at his plate. "Oh… yeah… that…" He said softly. Then the door opened and a messenger Gerudo leaned in. "Requaem, Traysa wishes to speak with you, in her quarters in the Strong Hold." She said, and Dark looked up. "Um, alrighty." And he choked down the rest of his food, and left and began to walk towards the stronghold. As he walked, he felt the stray eyes of young Gerudos on him, for he was the only male out of all the Gerudos, not even of he race he lived with, but they accepted him, his step mother being second in command.

He entered the stronghold, and was lead to Traysa's room, and he entered. She was sitting down, reading some book. When he closed the door behind him, Traysa snapped the old leather bound book shut. "Ah, Requaem." She said, placing the book on a table. "I'd like to thank you." And Dark raised an eyebrow. "For what?" He said, trying to sound like a pyscho by mentioning the alternate past in which he had duel Traysa in.

"It seems strange, it all seemed like a foggy dream, that you were in, and you taught me an invaluable lesson. Respect through mercy. Does any of this ring a bell?" She asked, and Dark silently nodded. "You were quite a lad. Even now, you seem to radiate uniqueness… you are quite unique. The Sage of Spirit told me to give you this. A present, she said, to you, saying they were in debt to you, and was the least they could do." She said, as she reached into a chest at the foot of her bed.

She pulled out a circular shield, made of some sort of odd material that had the look of sand, and was warm to the touch. Emblazoned on the front was the spirit seal, and had grooves that looked liked they moved, as to imitate the shifting sands of the desert. "A lot of great Gerudo go out to learn about themselves and others, and usually come back ending up more knowledgable about the world and themselves, and more powerful than most could dream of achieving. I'm expecting great things from you." She said, waling towards him, handing him the shield. "Never forget where you hail from, Requeam." She said, and he took the shield, and nodded. "I don't think I ever could, even if I tried." He said, turning and leaving the stronghold.

As he began to leave, a Gerudo with short crimson red hair, pulled back in a small ponytail, stopped him. She had a long black tatoo running from her eyebrow to her chin, and had a pair of violet eyes. "Hello Requaem, I've got a going away present for ya!" She said, and Dark cringed, as he remembered his tenth birthday where this particular Gerudo, one of his better friends, Reiche, unleashed a monster in his house, a wolfos she had caught in the forests sometime after she was raiding. Quote: "I thought it would be a good present for the little man's first double digit birthday!" She was only about four years older than him, and he looked to her as another sister. She was the best horse breeder the Gerudo's had, taught everything she knows by her mother, who had retired from horse breeding.

"Should I be afraid of this present? Will it explode?" He said, and Reiche laughed. "No, it may be a litte dangerous, and it doesn't explode." She said, as she whisted, and a small horse trotted towards them. His mane is black, where her fur was a light brown color, and she had a pair of crimson eyes, that looked toawrds Dark as if in anticipation of a fast paced ride through the plains. Reiche smiled as she adjusted a cushy looking leather saddle. "This is the fastest horse in the camp. I've been caring for this one in secret… she's like my little pet. I'm going to give her to you, on loan. So you better come back one day, and you better take care of her, or ill kill ya." She said with a grin. Dark smiled. "Thanks Reiche, I'll make sure to come back." He said, mounting the horse. Reiche smiled. "And make sure to come back alive, or I'll kill ya." She said, and he rolled his eyes. "Sure. As much sense as that makes, I'll come home alive Rei." He said, and she smacked the horse sharply on the rear, and the horse shot off at high speeds, and he had to grip tightly to avoid being thrown off.

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**So, did you guys like the intro chappy? I liked it. I thought it was good. But my opinion doesn't matter. So all my lovely reviewers from When You Give Shadow Life better read this story, and give me uber reviews to make me happy! Hah, well, leave me a review, and tune in for another chapter later. Jonny, out. Hahaha.**


	2. Delve into the Darkness

It had been about three years since Dark had left Hyrule, assuming that there was nothing left to be learnt there. So, he had left the valley of Hyrule through a passage the Sheikah had carved and protected in the forests that lead outwards, and began his travels all over the planet of Terra. He had even gone to the continent on the opposite side of the one Hyrule had resided on, across a great ocean. Dark wasn't too happy at the sight of water, being reminded of the Temple he had been in for years. But now, he had found a clue, a cryptic message to where he could find the knowledge to control the evil spirit within him. It had mentioned something about his home realm, and so he assumed it was the Shadow Realm. And that's where our story about the wandering shadow has brought us.

" This place hasn't changed a smidge." He said, looking at the purple sky. "Gloomy…" Then he looked the dead trees surrounding him. "…Dark…" and then he kicked the dirt-like soil beneath him. "…Dead." And he peered through the darkness ahead of him with his piercing red eyes. Then he heard the snap of a twig behind him, and a dark smile crossed his face, the insignia of a madman, the one each of his enemies had fallen to upon seeing, and his hand strayed to his sheath. With a flourish, he spun around and thrust his blade at the creature behind him.

"AAAAA! YOU MANIAC! WHAT THE HELLS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" A small one-foot elf yelled, rather loudly for something so small. Dark twitched. "Ow, I think my eardrums are bleeding." He said, as he pulled the shimmering blade from the elf's throat. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" And the elf pouted. "Humph. Why did I get stuck assigned to the ishi otomi…" and Dark's expression sunk at those words, being reminded of a certain someone he left behind. The elf noticed this, and extended a small hand with a smile. " The name's Mali! And unfortunately, I'm your familiar." And Dark blinked.

"Like, Link's fairy? Are you some sorta fairy?" He asked, clueless. Even though he had been around for a while, there were still a good amount of things he still didn't know. Mali twitched. "Don't call me a fairy. I hate fairies. I eat them." And Dark laughed hysterically. "Then I know a certain one you'd like to eat… I mean, meet." He said with a twisted grin." It was then that he took into account that the blonde haired, crimson-eyed elf was dressed like him. He disregarded this, and took other things into account instead. "So, why are you MY familiar exactly? I don't really need one, I could just leave you behnd…" He said with a sweet smile. Terror entered her eyes.

"NO! Don't do that!" She yelled, jumped onto his chest, and clutching onto his tunic. Surprised, and caught of guard, Dark tried to pry her off, but to no avail. " Please! You have to at least let me follow you! I don't want to lose my soul!" She cryed out, and Dark felt a pang of pity in his heart. "Eh… well, why would you lose your soul exactly?" And Mali still clung to him. "Because I'm bound to contract! I have to keep an eye on you, or I forfeit my soul!" She cryed again into Dark's chest, and Dark became curious. " Did the one who sent you bind you into contract? Do I know the person?" And She nodded. "You know her… actually, you know her really well." She said with a wink.

"S-sheik? Sheik sent you?" And She nodded. " She bound me into contract, and sent me to keep an eye on you, and make sure you don't die… or I lose my soul. She tricked me too!" She said, angrily, punching Dark's chest, oblivious to the fact that she was punching him. Dark was thrown off by the force that was put into the punch. This little person was full of surprises, Dark concluded. "Fine, fine… just don't punch me anymore, and LET GO OF ME!" He said, and she giggled. "Yay!" She said, scuttling up his shirt onto his shoulder. "So, where to, Ishi?" And Dark chuckled, and pointed to the darkness. "Somewhere out there." Mali frowned. "Oh boy." She said bluntly. Dark smiled. "I know, huh? Fun fun. Lets get going." He said, walking deeper into the gloom of the Shadow Realm.

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**Semi-Cliffy! Wah! Hahaha, I don't know. Well, you guys leave me a comment, and tell me how you think about the little familiar idea, because I thought it would be pretty nifty, and I choose an elf, because, you know, fairys bug me. I mean, they're … essences of light. And they are rather annoying… anyway. XD leave me a comment you lovely readers!**

**PS: Just a random thing, but I noticed that all my hits have been reset! Noooo! Am I the only one? Because you know, I really enjoyed looking at When You Give Shadow Life's hit count, which was nearing 2000! BASTARDS! I MISSED THE TWO THOUSAND MARK! –emo tear- Bleh. Oh well. Hahah, I'm such a weirdo.**

**PPS: Oh yeah, this chapter was a TAD short. Oh well. You can expect a longer next chapter though! XD**


	3. A Series of Events Im Too Lazy To Title

Mali began to throttle Dark out of nervousness. "This place is so creeeeeppy!" She squealed, holding onto Dark for dear life, while draining his. "Mali…my…throat…" He managed to choke out, and she realized that she had been strangling him. "Oh! I'm sorry Ishi!" She said with a sheepish grin. "Ehem. Thank you. You're way to strong for a little imp, y'know." And she clocked him on the head. "ELF! NOT IMP!" She said, and Dark rubbed his scull. "OW! You're almost as bad as Sheik and Malon! Put together!" He exclaimed in defence, and she grinned, and they continued walking through the gloom.

"Oh yeah… Mali…" Dark began, and Mali nodded. "Yeees?" Dark looked at her, perched upon his shoulder. "Why are you dressed like me?" and she looked at her black tunic and skirt, and even the matching cap, and then blushed. "Er, about that… heh…" She said slowly, and Dark nodded impatiently. "Continue…" He said, and her face turned red. "You're my hero." And at this, Dark nearly fell. "Wha-? Me, a hero? Please." He said, blank faced, turning forward. "But you are! You're the one who sealed Ganon, where Link's getting all the publicity! You defeated Ganon to protect those who you cared about, the ones who meant everything to you, and even returned from death to do so! You definitely a hero, whether you say it or not!" She exclaimed.

"Hm. Well, go figure, me of all people." He said with an inward smile and a shrug. Then the duo stumbled upon a derelict looking building nestled within the dead trees, draped in cobwebsm and framed by a cracked black picket fence, with a bleached scull sitting upon one of the pickets, with a sign hung underneath: "Welcome!" This made Mali twitch, and her hands began to inch towards Dark's throat yet again. But he caught her tiny fingers, and stopped her. "Please, don't let me die by way of small crazed elf. I'd prefer die of something else, something a little more of epic proportions." He said blandly and she chuckled nervously as she began to clutch at the collar of his tunic.

He walked up the creaking steps, undeterred, and Mali began to twist the fabric of his tunic, as he knocked on the door, which promptly fell off the hinges inward. "Well, that's one way to enter a house." He said bluntly. Inside, the two stepped, and within, was an empty dusty house, except for a single man, sitting at a table, books strewn before him, his hands running over then, head lowered, shaggy black hair obscuring his eyes.

"Um, hi?" Dark said, and the man looked up at the two with piercing unpredictable light purple eyes. He had bandage wrapped around his left eye, and his chin length hair was longer on the left side, to cover his eye whereas the other side was shorter and tucked behind his ear so he could see. "Hello, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" The man asked, staring through Dark with those taciturn eyes. Dark remembered to speak. "Uh, the name's Dark, and I'm here to learn something that maybe you'd know?" He asked, and the man bowed slightly to him, and Dark did so in return, sending a frightened Mali rolling off his shoulder in front of the quietly crazed man.

He smiled at Mali. "What a cute little elf." And at amazing speeds, she scuttled backwards, into Dark's shin; nearly knocking him over, and then, hid behind his leg. He stood up. "Anyhoo, my name's Jackle." He said, walking towards Dark, who instinctively shot his hand towards his hilt. Jackle smiled simply. "Why so jumpy?" He asked, reaching over to a coatrack, that Dark had neglected to notice earlier. He took a derby, a black button up jacket, and a pair of boots over with him to his seat. He was wearing a thing white tunic, grey breeches, and was shoeless, until a few seconds later, when he placed the black derby with a band of purple cloth going around it on his head, put on the thick jacket, buttoned the middle button, and slipped on a pair of black boots.

He reached into his jacket, pulled out a toothpick, and a comb, placed the toothpick in his mouth, and began to comb his messy hair. "Why so silent?" He asked simply. Dark shrugged. "I dunno, you're just … odd." He said, and Jackle smiled. "Yup! So, what did you want?" He asked, and Dark noticed a blue triforce piece that was emblazoned on the breast pocket of his jacket. "Whats that mean exactly?" Dark asked Jackle, and he pointed to his chest. "The same thing your necklace does. It means that a god's spirit resides in me. More accurately, the child of a godDESS." He said, and Dark raised his eyebrow.

"Naryu's child? Reincarnate in a human? Shit doesn't get any odder. So, then, that would make you the Reincarnation of Knowledge?" And Jackle nodded and shook his head simoltaneously. "So to speak." And Dark grinned. "Good! Then you know how I can control the Lost God?" and Jackle smiled. "I specifically don't know how to, but I know someone somewhere who can." He stated, cryptically, although Dark paid no heed to it. "Where exactly? And who?" Dark asked eagerly. "The person is at your home." Dark's eager smile faded. "I am home, aren't I? I was born here…" He said, and Jackel smiled at this. "Where you're born doesn't neccesarily mean that's your home..." He said, and the realization finally hit him.

His home wasn't here. It was in Hyrule. With his friends. With Sheik. He just remembered the conversation between him and Sheik in the Sacred Realm…

"Come with me! The Sheikah can help you control the spirit! Stay with me!"

"No, Sheik, there are some things that you have to learn by yourself…"

"I'M SUCH A FUCKING MORON!" Dark yelled in exasperation. "I wasted three years wandering, when the person who could teach me was right under my nose the whole time! WHAT. THE. FUCK!" He yelled, as he grabbed Mali by her collar, and plopped her on his shoulder, which she grasped tightly, and they heard footfalls behind them, and they realized that somehow, Jackle, was running as fast as Dark. "Don't think I want to be left out! There are somethings you can only learn by watching. And I like to learn. So I shall be accompanying you." He said, as they ran through the forests at high speeds. "Fine by me, just don't slow me down!" Dark called back, as the two neared the portal to leave, and Dark jumped at it, and through it, and landed on soft green grass, where an older much stronger looking Sandstorm was grazing. He neighed in joy as Dark jumped on his back.

"HYA!" He yelled, and Sandstorm sped off, at full speed, happy to be rushing through the plains and wind again. "So, how do you intend on getting across the ocean?" Dark heard from the left of him. There was Jackle, flying on his back, looking at him. Dark was dumbstruck. Jackle motioned his hands as if to force an answer from Dark. "Any plans?" He asked, and Dark shook his head. "None. Probably hitch a ride from a boat at the docks. And how are you … flying?" And Jackle smiled. "My mother's the one who created the sky and the water… I can fly. I can also swim well, but unfortunately, not exceptionally well.." He added. Dark nodded. "Ok…" and he turned back to the plains ahead of him, rushing by him. "SLOW DOWN, PLEASE!" Mali yelled, as she held onto Dark by his arm, the only thing keeping her from flying off the horse and being left completely behind. Dark smiled and he grabbed Mali by the collar, and plopped her in the small backpack he had tied onto the saddle. "Happy?"

Mali nodded. "You have no idea." And dark looked as he neared the Port City. "Well, fly-boy, I suggest you get down from there, or we might get a bit of unwanted attention." He said, slowing down considerably, and Jackle plopped himself firmly on the ground, and then fell. "Dammit! I hate how after flying I can't walk straight…" He muttered to himself. He then collected himself, and walked towards the gate, where Dark was walking his horse, and Mali had climbed out of his backpack and onto his shoulder once again.

The Gatekeeper stared at the group. "Where the hell do these people come from?" And Jackle answered for him. "Your nightmares." And then he smiled as he motioned behind him towards where the portal was concealed, far back in the plains. "The entrance is back there, near the forest, you can go look if you want, its rather nice in there." He added with a smile that made the Guard cringe. "Uh whatever, just don't start any trouble… have a nice visit to the Port City…" He said, tapping the gate with his halberd in which a man on top of the wall turned a crank in which the gate slowly creaked open.

The three headed to the neares dock, where there was only one boat docked, surprisingly, usually, there were at least thirty to each of the harbors in the Port City. Dark walked his horse along with Mali and Jackle. There was a man on the boat, wearing a red bandana, and rugged clothes, short black hair, and a young and handsome, but weather hardened face, giving orders out to his shipmates. Dark called to the man. "Hey you! Guy on the railing shouting!" And he looked at Dark, hand resting on his rapier casually. "The name's Kirei…" he began and jumped from the railing and onto the harbor effortlessly. "…And what do ya want?" He asked.

"Passage on your ship, if that is ok, your king-ship." He said, in referance to the 18 year olds air of authority he held, which Dark mistook for arrogance. Kirei tilted his head with a smile, as if in challenge. "Oh, it's ok, you just have to work around the boat as long as you are on. Where you to?" he asked, and Dark answered quickly. "The port closest to this one, on the other side of Terra." Kirei grinned. "Well, welcome aboard the Quest, the best ship there is on the ocean." He said, and Dark yawned. "Uh-huh, yeah yeah, I just wanna get home.." He said impatiently, walking the plank onto the ship easily, as did Jackle did. Kirei looked at the horse. "What about that?"

Dark turned to Kirei. "That is Sandstorm, the fastest horse in the land. I'd appreciate it if you'd put him in you're stable, and treat him well." And Kirei frowned. "I don't like horses, but I'm feeling nice." And one of the shipmates took Sandstorm into the stables of the ship, where they held livestock and cattle. Dark looked off the front of the ship. "I'm coming. Three years late, but I'm coming…" He said to himself, and Kirei slapped him on the back. "OK, enough day dreaming, get your ass washing the deck, newbie!" He said, pushing a bucket into his chest, getting him wet with soapy water, and handed him a sponge. Dark glared at him. "You expect me to do this? I don't wash decks. Isn'tthere something else to do?" And Kirei smiled. "No, your stuck washing the deck, unless you want to find another boat." He said with another challenging smile, as if asking for him to give him a reason to be thrown off the boat.

Dark cringed. This hurt his pride. Horrendously. "You owe me, Sheik, I don't wash boats for anyone…" He muttered to himself. He shrugged as he got to work. "Well, look at it this way, he'll get his fair share later…" He said, with a smile, plotting up revenge. Oh, how sweet revenge will be.

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**Huzzah! Two chapters in one day! GO ME! Kishazi, I want two chapters XD now. Or, soon. I want more to read. Anyway, lovely reviewers, leave me a lovely review. Please and thank you! **


	4. Dark, King of Deck Washing

Dark threw his tunic over his shoulder, and wiped his forehead. He really had put some effort into cleaning. The whole boat was clean to begin with, but he had made it practically disenfected. Kirei walked up to him. "Damn." He said bluntly, looking around for some form of dirt, grime or something out of place. Within the whole day, he had more or less cleaned EVERYTHING. "Er, good work?" He said. "You can take the rest of the night off…" He said, not expecting this. Dark smiled. "Ok." He said, deciding to walk around the ship, while plotting revenge.

Suddenly he was tackled, tackled hard by some screaming chick about his age. HE was thrown into the railing, and Kirei ran over. "What the hell!" He said, spotting the girl. "Oh, Anna. What the hell did you tackle him for!" and she hiccuped. "I thought he was a –hic- thief!" and Dark blinked rubbing his bare back, which felt bruised. "Anna, are you drunk?" Kirei asked. Dark muttered to himself. "Why do I only know abusive women?" And Kirei began to walk Anna towards the bed quarters. "Hey! Dark!" He heard, as he felt a tugging on his pants. He looked down to see Mali. "Where have you been? " He asked her.

"With Jackle. We were tending to the cattle, that was our job. I see you got the deck all shiny.." She said. He nodded. "Man, this ship is BORING." He said, wlaking over to the bed quarters where Kirei had entered, and he came out. "Where do I sleep?" He asked, and Kirei walked him to his room. "Three beds, one for each of you. Oh, you'r buddies already here… where'd that table come from?" He said to Jackle who smiled. "I need to study, and so, I have a table with me. Always." He said, and Kirei nodded slowly. "Ok…" he said, looking at the books laid before him, all written in encypted lettering. "…Good night…" He said, leaving the room.

Dark lay down, staring at the wooden ceiling above him, at a lose for words. Mali sat next to him. "You ok, Ishi?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know, really, I think I've been wandering a little too long. I don't know what to think anymore…" He said, and Jackle began to write things feverishly. Dark was silent, then sighed. "I'm going to go to sleep now…" He said, and Mali lay down besides him, and snuggled close to him. He blinked. 'What the hell?' he thought as she began to fall asleep. It seemed strange to Dark, this little elf cuddling with him, but he welcomed it, it had been a long time since he had felt wanted. So, he fell asleep, with Mali lying close by.

Next morning…

"WAKE UP!" Dark heard, someone yelling at his door, pounding the door as well. Mali had her arms wrapped around his neck, and she was snoring lightly. "Hey, wake up." He said, gently prodding her in the eye. "EY! That hurts you know!" and she woke up, and quickly took her arms from his neck blushing. He went to the door, and opened it. It was Jackle. "Jesus. We set sail three hours ago. You sleep LATE." He said, tipping his hat. Dark yawned. "I know, but I proably wont need to sleep for like three days." He said with a smile. "So, do we have any work lined up?" He asked Jackle. He shook his head.

"Nope, he said, since we all did well yesterday, we get off today." And Dark frowned. "Oh, he's being nice. Maybe I won't prank him. Let's see what this ship has to do." Dark said, as he left with Mali perched on his shoulder like usual. Walking out, he spotted Anna sitting on the railing.

"Hey, you're that crazy chick who threw me into the ralining!" He said, and she grinned. "Am I? So, you're the fresh meat on the boat that Kirei was talking about huh?" She said, and Dark nodded slowly, taking in the girl about Kirei's age, with long brown hair, an insane gleam in her dark eyes. "So, how do you know Kirei?" Dark asked her, and Anna spotted him walking by. "WE'RE IN LOVE!" She yelled, throwing her arms around the off guard captain. "WE ARE NOT!" He yelled, trying to pry the girl off of him. Everyone went on the way normally, only Dark and Mali were … dumbstruck by this random outburst.

Mali whispered in his ear. "I'm confused…" and Dark nodded. "You're not the only one…" and Kirei managed to pull her off. She began to cry. "But didn't all those nights we spent together mean anything to you! You said you wanted me to be the mother of your children, those words mean something!" She yelled, at Kirei who began to twitch. "I never said that!" He responded, and Dark blinked. Kirei noticed that Dark was there, and his face turned red. "She's lieing, I swear it!" he said, trying to persuade them that Anna's lieing. Dark just nodded, and walked away silently. "Uh-huh, whatever you say…"

He turned to Anna. "Must you do that EVERY TIME we get new boat members?" He asked exasperated. She smiled innocently. "Uh-huh." She said with a giggle, and skipped away. Off towards the front of the boat, Dark stood, staring off towards the rising sun, and sighed. Mali hopped off his shoulder, nimbly onto the railing. "What's wrong Ishi?" She asked, and Dark placed his chin in his hand, leanign on the railing. "No idea. I really don't have a clue." And he sighed again. Mali frowned. "Cheer up Ishi! You seem so depressed… I think you miss Sheik." She said with a wink. Dark's eyes widened, and his face turned red. "Wh-wha, where'd you get that idea?" He said, looking away. Mali jumped onto his shoulder.

"It's so obvious. I've heard stories about you. You've always been so nutty, and funny, now you seem bland, and I bet it's because Sheik's not around." She said, with a sly grin, and Dark turned around. "Shut it." He said, blushing heavily. Mali was eccstatic. "YOURE BLUSHING! HOLY CRAP! I JUST MADE A SHADOW BORN BLUSH!" She said, jumping off his shoulder and doing a jig. Dark glared at her, and she smiled. "Well, that's one thing off my list of things to do." He shook his head, with a sigh, and he heard a call from the crow's nest. "Ey! Kirei! Merchant ship at dead ahead of us! Ripe for the picking!" The tanned man in the nest yelled down, and Kirei grinned happily.

"Finally, we havn't seen any ships to steal from in ages." He said, fingering a weapon in a sheath, shaped like a crossbow without the crosspiece, and made of steel. "EVERYONE AT READY! Prepare to board!" He said, and Dark ran to the center of the deck. He was so lost in thought, he was oblivious to the merchant ship only a little ways away. He walked to Kirei. "This is a pirate ship?" He asked, surprised. Kirei nodded slowly, as if Dark was a child. "No, actually, this is a rowboat." He said, and walked away from Dark, who smiled simply. "Pirate boat, eh? Well, finally, now I get to kill." He said, unsheathing a glimmering razor-like blade. "Get my mind offa things." He said to himself, smiling as the boat neared.

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**CLIFFY! Sorta. XD well, Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Because I'm kinda stumped as to where this boat thing is going, besides the other side of Terra XD Well leave me a review!**


	5. EXTREMELY LONG CHAPTER!

**Im back again! More story for you people, who are reading, and suddenly, have stopped reviewing! Do you not love Dark anymore? Dark's going to be depressed. You don't want to see what he does when he gets depressed. XD well, anyway, here's your update for you.

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Dark was thinking about the mindless mayhem he could incur upon the nearing merchant ship. Then, he heard the door to the left open, and from the bed quarters, a tall thin male Gerudo with tan skin, and golden eyes he could mistake for none other. They had the same gleam as Ganon's, how had he escaped? Had he come for revenge? He mustve already took over Hyrule, if he managed to make it all the way out here… He had to stop him NOW, he wasn't going to take over the rest of the world. So, rushing at him, he tackled him with all the force and speed the Shadow Born could muster, and sent him flying backwards.

He gained his wits, and did a handspring, landing on his feet nimbly for a person of six feet, and took a fighter stance against Dark, gauntleted fists glowing arcane energy, from under his billowing black cloak. He lowered his fists. "Requaem! What have you been up to? What are you doing all the way out here? … Why did you tackle me? That hurt, you've gotten strong for such a tiny guy." He said with a grin, and Dark blinked. He called him Requaem… that was out or character for Ganon; mind you that he was also … smiling. Then he remembered the childhood he had earned from defeating Ganon… This was Dyre, the only male Gerudo in one hundred years, the one that replaced Ganondorf, in order to not breach the rules of fate.

Dark grinned sheepishly, and laughed. "Heh, I dunno, I felt like being random." He said, Mali shuffling on his shoulder, apparantly sensing power from Dyre that Dark didn't pick up. Dyre laughed. "Random hurts." He said bluntly. Dark dredged through his memory to remember about Dyre. Well, the two had become friends at first out of the sheer fact of them being the only boys in the Stronghold. At the tender age of twelve, he fled the throne, not wanting what usually entailed with the title of King of Thieves, leaving a nine year old Dark behind. The two were close like brothers, and Dark felt a little betrayed at Dyre leaving without a word.

"Yeah, so how long have you been here?" Dark asked Dyre. He shrugged. "Oh, about…" He began to count on fingers. "About three years." Dark nodded, and then looked at the sky again, thinking. Dyre tilted his head, and looked at him inquisitively. "Hey Dark, whats wrong with you? I may have been away from you for a while, but I can still tell when something's bugging a friend." He said, and Dark realized that he wasn't hiding his thoughts very well. "Oh! There's nothing on my mind!" He said, putting on a half-hearted smile. Mali giggled. "He misses his sweatheart he left behind in Hyrule. That's why he's on this boat, to get back to her. Because he's in looooooove!" She said, giving Dark a nugee, and he turned bright bright red. "SHUT UP!" He said, as he pryed her off his head. Dyre grinned. "So, who's the unlucky lady?" He said jokingly.

"A Sheikah named Sheik." He said softly, wondering what Dyre's reaction would be. His grin folded a bit. "Oh." Dark glanced at him. "Not angry?" He asked, and Dyre shook his head. "Me? No, I'm just surprised. I left the throne to escape thngs like this, prejudice and stuff… But it does suit you! I still havn't really erased the Gerudo brainwashing they would do, so the reaction wasn't personal, it was kinda… programed" He said with a sheepish grin.

"That's good to hear, because me and Sheik are kinda… serious." He said, turning a bit red, grinning slightly. "You don't say? How serious exactly? Marriage serious?" Jackle's voice said from behind. Dark jumped, and turned around quickly. His face turned a deeper red. "That's none of your business! And why are you writing this down!" He asked, trying to snatch the book, but amazing, Jackle avoided by an inch. "It's for my dossiers. I collect, write, and compile stories from all over Terra." Dark became more interested than embarassed. "What do you plan on doing with it all after a while?" Jackle closed the book. "Eventually, I will open the largest and most comprehensive Library in all of Terra." Dark nodded. "I'll have to go there one day." Then the boat neared them.

"Everyone! Get ready to board!" He said, and once they were close, canons were fired at the merchant ship, shattering the masts, and the ship was helpless as they boarded, gangplanks bridging the gaps, people swinging across on ropes, etc. Dark turned to Jackle. "Hey, you gonna join in?" He asked, and He shook his head. "No, I'd rather observe, and compile info." And Dark smiled. "Perfect! Hold this!" He said, handing Mali to Jackle. "Hold onto her while I fight, I'd prefer she isn't hurt." He said, and Mali squirmed as she entered Jackles hands. "NO! I WANT TO FIGHT WITH YOU!" She squealed, and Dark laughed. "No, you don't. Last thing I need is you dieing on me." And she kept squirming. Dark readied his blade. "Make sure she doesn't go." And Jackle nodded, and Dark jumped the gap nimblily, as did Dyre.

"LET ME GO!" She yelled, trying to punch him, but to no avail. "Say the magic word!" He replied defiantly, and she got angrier. "FUCK YOU!" She yelled loudly, and he grinned. "Uh uh uh. Wrong! Try again!" The two kept going like this back and forth, but meanwhile, on the boat…

Dark weaved in and out of the mess the crew was causing. No damage, just sheer panic and chaos. There was a figure wearing a long brown robe with their hood up, nimbly hopping from spot to spot, frightening people, and eventually, turned to Dark, and he saw what was within the hood, the scaly face of a reptillian, champane eyes twinkling, purple tongue flicking out, as if tasting the air around Dark silently. Dark twitched. Dismissing the eerie shipmate, he continued on, as he saw Rat, running around in the panic, relieving the passenger's of their possesions, and occaisonally tackling one of them, sending them flying off the ship's deck with speed unexpected from the small boy.

Dark ran to the captain's room, where he had locked himself in. Dark banged on the door, and a nervous voice replied to him. "L-leave me alone!" The captain said, and there was a shuffling of feet, and the silent sound of swords being drawn from their scabbards. "FINE THEN!" Dark yelled, kicking the door clean off its hinges, sending it into the room, sliding to the middle. There were about 6 mercenaries waiting for him. The captain managed a weak smile. "Go now, leave me be, or I'll give the word to these mercenaries to attack." He said, and the 3 on both sides of the room smiled as the lifted their blades to the ready position. Dark frowned.

"Didn't expect a merchant ship to be transporting mercenaries huh? I bet all you pirates are pushovers, picking on merchants, who you think are probably defenseless, huh?" At these words, Dark's frown plucked up at the edges, and became a grin, that sent shivers up the spines of the mercenaries and the merchant captain. "Me, a pushover? Please. I can show you what the true meaning of fear is." He said, with a flick of his wrist, the door was enveloped in black, and it flew back to the hinges of the door, and became locked. The mercenaries suddenly became daunted at this feat of magic.

"Let me introduce you fine mercenaries to a wonderful, wonderful place. It's called the afterlife." Dark said, in a soft voice, a pyschotice glow entering his eyes, a black aura emenating from his chest. He sheathed his blade, and held his hands out at his sides, as his eye's flared dangerously, and he swept his arms forward, and all the torches went out, and the room was immersed in darkness.

"Ey, what'd that silly git just do?" One of the mercenaries asked. "No idea-" and hit sentence was cut off by screaming, and for a few seconds, there was screams of pain and anguish. On the other side of the door, Dyre was wondering why there was … shadow … creeping out from under the door, and what the screaming was about. "Hey! OPEN UP!" He yelled, trying to open the door. Inside, the dark was still there, but the screaming had subsided. All the sound that was left was the troubled breathing of a terrified captain. Then, Dark snapped his fingers, and the darkness receeded into his own shadow, and the torches relit. Dark's hands up to his elbows were drenched in blood, blood all over the walls and ceiling, and floor, corpses of the mercenaries littering the floor. The entire blade and hilt was dripping crimson liquid.

"WAAAAAAA!" And with a crunching noise, a fist broke the door in half, purple and red magic flames licking the air around Dyre's fist. He blinked at Dark. "You are one twisted sick prick." He said, kicking over the lower half of the door, still hinged. He inspected the carnage. "God damn…" He said, exasperated. "What are you?" He asked, looking at Dark differently. Almost fearful, but not quite, with some awe thrown in. "Well, you might not have known but my family did, that I'm a Shadow Born. Created and shaped from the very shadows the brightest light casts." He said, looking at the ravaged corpses around him.

"I went overboard… again… I still can't control him yet…" He said, and Dyre's mouth curled into a frown. "So it IS true. No wonder I almost attacked… you're a vassal, aren't you?" He asked, and Dark nodded. "The Lost God…" He said, a grim look entering his eyes. He looked at the bodies. He had stabbed them, to the hilt with the blade, passed the handguard to the elbow. He had basically punched holes through each of them. "STUPID!" He exclaimed to himself, in anger.

Dyre pat him on the back. "Jackle filled me in on what with you. I'm coming with you. You already have two of the vassals; it's only appropriate that I come along. Gotta keep you in line so you don't so … this… again. That's what the three Golden Ones intended in the first place, to keep the chaos in line." Dark nodded. "Whatever… I just wanna go home…" He said, wiping his blade on a portion of the untouched captains clothing, who was twitching violently, and Dark snagged a key from his neck. "This goes to the cargo room, no?" He asked, and the Captain nodded silently, flinching at Dark's voice. The two left the room.

"Well, before you can go home, we need to loot the rest of this boat, and take care of the mercenaries up on the deck, that's what Kirei sent me to you for, because we need some help up there." He said, but Dark looked reluctant, but nodded anyway. It bothered him, that he still couldn't control the Lost God after all the training he gained as he wandered. He still didn't have control, and he was afraid of going back to Hyrule, in case this happened there… Before they knew it, they were back on deck, and Kirei was parrying blows from all sides. "DYRE! DARK! HELP WOULD BE GOOD!" he said, pushing one of the mercenaries away.

Dark frowned, but the Lost God had been fed, so he doubted that he would resurface in the face of battle. So, he unsheathed his blade, and entered the fray. Running in, he immediately disarmed one of them, and elbowed them in the jaw, then, with a fierce boot to the stomach, sent him flying off. Dyre ran at one of them, and merely grabbed them by the throat, and threw them off. Kirei parried two blows simoltaneously, clashed with the two blades, and then forced them back with an immense show of strength, then slapped one of them with the flat of his rapier, thowing him completely off guard, and shoving him off the edge of the boat, and then, backhanded the other mercenary with a closed fist with all his might, causing him to stumble back, in which Dark smashed the hilt of his blade into his face, throwing him off the boat.

"Is that it?" He asked, putting away his blade, as did Kirei. "I think so…" And they looked around, and saw no more alive/conscious mercenaries. "Nope, that's it." He said, and everyone's pace slowed, as they let out sighs of relief, and began loading the loot onto the boat. Kirei frowned. "This was WAY too messy… Dark, throw the dead bodies overboard." He said, and Dark's jaw dropped. "YOU'RE KIDDIN ME! WHY DO I DO ALL THE GRUNT WORK?" He asked, and Kirei smiled, and pat him on the shoulder. "Because you're the new guy. It's you job to do the grunt work." He said with a grin, walking across the gangplank with Anna, Rat, and the other fighters, including Dyre, who shot over a quick "Sucks to be you!" And, the only ones left on the boat were Dark and a few ship mates loading loot slowly from the ship to the Quest.

Dark sighed as he threw another corpse over. "Damn him." He said with a shrug. He was in a bad mood now, being reminded of how he still was a weakling, and couldn't even control himself, and now, had to dispose of dead mercenaries. Suddenly, there was a rush of foot falls, and Dark's instincts made him roll forward as a huge blade came down from behind him, getting embedded in the wood. "WHOA!" He yelled, as he unsheathed his own blade, and parrying another. This man was apparantly the leader of the mercenaries.

"YOU DAMNED PIRATES KILLED ALL MY MEN! WE WERE ABOUT TO GO HOME FOR THE FIRST TIE IN YEARS! AND YOU SLAUGHETERED THEM ALL LIKE LAMBS!" He yelled, slashing at him wildly. Dark sidestepped again and again. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have attacked us, and let us just take the goods, and this wouldn't be happening." He said simply, blocking another blade stroke. Why me? Why do I get caught in the middle of the most trivial things? I just want to get home, I just want to see Sheik, is that really so much to ask for? Dark thought, as he parried another stroke.

"Why won't you fight me!" They grey-haired man asked. He looked about 40, his face stern as chiselled stone, deep green eyes flaring with anger. He wore half plate, covering his entire chest, forged of some unknown and powerful metal, a long cloak bundled arounf it. "Because I don't want to. Everytime I do one thing, theres always an equal and opposing force to counter it, just to spite me. I can't control what happens to me anymore, so I just won't try to change that anymore." He said, a staid and blank look entering his blank eyes.

The man lowered his bastard sword, long red cloak flowing in the sea breeze. "Hmph. Seems like I'm not the only one with a troubling past. What's the name of the Shadow that stands before me?" The apparantly wise man asked. "Dark." He said, closing his eyes, hoping for an easy end, a quick death. But then his eyes opened again. The man stood there, not moving, blade lowered, obseving the shadow. "Will you not fight?" He asked again. Dark shook his head. "No. I don't see the need to. I apologize for what has happened to your group. If you wish to kill me, so be it. I have no regrets." He said, sheathing his blade. Kirei had stopped and noticed this, as did many others. Dyre and Anna, along with Mali, who had escaped the clutches of Jackle, who was standing besides her.

Dyre and Mali tried rushing forward. Kirei stopped him. "No, not yet, I want to see how our new guy stacks up to Marac, the legendary mercenary king. Dyre looked to Kirei. "That's Marac! That's the man of legends that even seafarers speak of?" And Kirei nodded. "No, actually, he's the pancake king. Of course he's a mercenary king, you moron." He said with a laugh, and Dyre merely chuckled and watched. Mali managed to get past Kirei, and onto the gangplank, but Jackle flew over Kirei, to his surprise, and grabbed her by the wrist. "No, Mali. This is his fight." He said, and she pouted, although she understood.

Marac put away his blade. "I have no use for a enemy who won't fight. It goes against my honor to fight one who won't fight back." He said simply. Dark looked at him, and the fire within his eyes still was there, and Dark decided to put up one last fight. "Ok. We'll fight." He said, unsheathing his blade. Oddly, the blade was different. The old blade was gone, replaced with a sword with a cobalt hilt, with a closed eye carved into the hilt, and a sharp looking dull gray colored blade, with a red triforce carved into blade, with a black center piece. _'You can thank the Sage of Shadow for that blade. It's the anti-master sword. For some reason, it was lost when you went back in time. It's been reforged, with new secrets for you to investigate. Hope you enjoy it!' _A females voice said in his head, a voice like one he had heard long ago. Zelda? He thought back, but got no response, and he shrugged.

Marac smiled. "Hm, that's a different blade from the last one you had, the other was much weaker… this one… it feed's your power. Strange. I'll enjoy mowing you down." He said, swing his sword around, and then, in front of him, point down towards the ground. "Whatever." He said, lacking interest in this battle, noting that Marac's blade was ornately carved, the blade made from extremely polished nearly transcluescent metal, with a large wyvern carved into it, snaking around the blade to the tip, where the wyvern's mouth opened, as if to swallow the opponent with the tip of the blade. "Now, tremble in the face of Marac's wrath!" He yelled, charging Dark with the behemoth sword.

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**WAH! My longest chapter! A whopping three thousand words! Wooooo! There better be more than three reviews this chapter, or I'll make Dark die! Well, anyway, PLEASE leave me some pretty reviews, and I'll write some more!**


	6. Mist on the Horizon

**IM BACK! AND ONE OF MY OLD REGULARS FROM MY OTHER DARK LINK STORY HAS COME BACK FROM THE DEAD! I really do wonder where all you guys went, I mean, I had at LEAST 5 regulars, which two are reviewing faithfully, Kishazi and Biggoron. Congrats, you two, for being kick ass! And, yes Ri2, Dark can read… I think… well, if he is Link's counterpart, then, it would make sense that he could read, since Link is an illiterate moron XD and as for all my readers, who don't review, if you actually WANT me to continue, I need people to review! It helps. You have no idea. Well, you know who you are, all my old reviewers. Why did you quit reviewing? Oh well. Story time!

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Marac swung downwards at Dark who merely twirled out of the way, and then jumped over a horizontal slash at him. Ran up the broad blade nimbly, and then booted him swiftly in the face, and back flipped off. Marac stumbled back a little, and rubbed the corner of his mouth with his hand. "Hm. That hurt. Die." He said simply, moving so fast, Dark was thrown completely off guard, and barely had the time to throw up his own blade, buckler underneath the blade to give it support from the immense force being pushed down on it by Marac's blade. The two were in a clash.

"You said you had no regrets about dieing. You do, I can see it in those bleak eyes of yours." He said, and Dark grunted trying to keep the large mans blade from breaking through his defense and killing him. Dark didn't feel the need to try… but… this was a life or death situation… he had to do something. "You're right. I would have regrets about dieing. It would be that I died to YOU!" He yelled the final word, a burst of purple energy escaping his blade, throwing Marac back. He jumped back, anticipating a blow ahead of schedule.

He jumped around more, avoiding speedy swipes. Every now and then, he would sneak in sword swipes, which Dark merely back flipped away from and when he charged him with his large blade, Dark would come up from the back flip with a large uppercut with his blade, leaving shadowy after images after the swing. Marac was interested. The closer to death he neared, the more the blade would react… was he imagining things, or is the carving of the closed eye on his hilt ... slowly opening? With every thrust, every parry, side step, Marac began to learn his combat style, getting closer to landing a fatal blow… and that eye kept opening… it was unnerving, and Marac didn't even think that the young Shadow before him knew what was happening.

He had almost nicked his cheek with the blade when the eye shot open, and a purple flame began to pour forth from the blade, as the eye began to look around, surveying the surroundings. Dark held the blade from him, afraid of what it might do, but he couldn't let go. But, strangely, nothing bad happened. This power… it felt… pure. Like the time he had come back from the dead, this was different from when Chaos took over. He pointed the blade at Marac. "Ready to fall?" He asked Marac, who smiled, at this new challenge. It sounded like Dark, but his voice was more gentle, and determined sounding. "I was ready since I was born." He said, readying his own blade, in which now, was glowing with a white mist, the wyvern on it, crawling around on the semi transparent blade, roaring in anticipation of battle.

Jackle blinked as he continued writing. "The voice of Death?" He asked himself. Dyre turned around. "Who?" Jackle blinked. "You're rather stupid, eh?" He said, and Dyre growled. "Shut up!" Kirei watched on interested. "Grimm, that guy from fairy tales, to explain what happens after death? The reaper, the keeper of the Deepest Reach of the Sacred Realm. I've heard it, bards near Hyrule tell people about it. I thought it was just a crock of shit." Kirei said. Jackle shook his head.

"No, Grimm very much exists. He's revealed himself to me once, in the Shadow Realm. There are some, who are powerful enough to even escape the reins of fate, and defy the fates, and cause complications in the grand scheme of things the Golden Ones have in store for each of us. So interventions like this… have happened, but are… rare, very unusual… and awe-inspiring. Watch…" He said, but Kirei did a triple take. "Wha-! Guy, are you on drugs! Shadow Realm, Fate? Grimm? Golden Ones! I'm so confused…" Kirei said, flustered. Jackle just nodded. "Not surprised. Just watch." He said, and Kirei nodded, deep in thought now, at all this new info that was seeping in.

Dark grinned, pointing the now subdued flaming blade at Marac. The blade had focused the dark purple flames to an aura of energy around his blade, and he had Grimm's confident smile, with the trademark gentleness of the Reaper who had broke it to so many souls, that they had died. He took off his hat. "This will only get in the way, I hope you don't mind too much, Dark." Grimm's voice said, and Dark's voice chimed in. "Not at all. At least you're more polite than the Lost God, he's rather rude, and he just takes completely over and kills." He said, and Marac blinked, more than a little confused. Grimm threw the hat over to the pirates, in which Dyre caught, and tucked into a pocket for safekeeping.

Dark's gray-black hair had now become light gray, with white tips, swaying gently in the sea breeze, blade pointed at Marac. He grinned in a defiant way that angered Marac. "You asked me, and now, I shall ask you. Will you not fight? Are you afraid? Afraid of… Death?" He said, striking a chord with the proud mercenary. "I'm afraid of nothing!" He yelled, charging Dark, who smiled in silent glee. "Hm, you're no longer the same young shadow I fought earlier. This, this is a much more powerful shadow… feeding you… so, this is what the eye embodies, a darker, more powerful entity than you, willing to lend a hand when needed, when you fall into mortal peril. I too, have a friend like that…" He said, swinging the blade, as if it was a simple shorts word.

Dark parried the blades effortlessly, dodging, snaking in swift kicks and hooks that Marac avoided and retaliated with more swings of his blade. "Oh?" He said, simply, to question whether he spoke true. "Yes, have you heard of Astra?" And Dark landed a reverse roundhouse to the chest with a painful sounding thud, cracking the plate slightly under his boot. Marac went reeling back. "Astra… I'm assuming it's that wyvern of mist within your blessed blade?" He asked. Marac nodded, stabbing the sword into the wooden deck, and he threw out his arms, and began chanting arcane words. "You going to let him summon the wyvern?" Dark asked his alter-ego. "Yes, I think it'll be fun." He with an insane grin resembling Dark's, but the crazed glow in his eyes were completely subdued by Grimm's solemnity.

Suddenly, the living wyvern on his blade roared, and flew towards the tip of the blade, and disappeared. "Hm." Dark said, and Marac laughed. Dark looked around at the slowly forming mist that was choking the air. Suddenly, there was a roar, and a half-transcluesent wyvern erupted from the ocean, looping around the air, and facing Dark, hovering above Marac. Marac's arms had begun to glow white, and he thrust his arm at Dark. "ATTACK!" He yelled, and Astra roared once more, and charged at Dark, hungry for blood.

"Shadow be cast by light… I shall use the enemies soul to bolster my might." Grimm said through Dark's body, a little jingle Dark found amusing, but suddenly, he felt a surge of power, and with a rush of adrenaline, he jumped directly at Astra's mouth, and slashed his blade into the wyvern's gaping mouth, cutting deep into the mist, causing it to screech in pain, and disperse into the mist around then, and formed again from the sea, and charged Dark. "This… may get repeitive…" Dark said frowning as Astra charged him a second time. "Here goes nothing…" Dark said to himself, readying himself for the large mist woven wyvern.

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**There you go! CLIFFAY! Well, leave me a beautiful review, and ill get writing some more! Specially because ive got thanksgiving vaca coming up, and that means loads of spare time! Tune in later guys! **


	7. I Think My Reviewers Are Hibernating

The wyvern charged Dark yet again. Grimm took control of his sword arm, and tapped Dark's buckler with the tip of his blade, suddenly, the sand-like design upon the shield burst forward, and rode the wind, causing a barrier of hot sand to expand around him as the wyvern slammed into it, hissing in pain as it evaporated on the heat of the sand. "How many more things about my equipment do I not know about?" And Grimm grinned. "A lot." He said, blocking another blow, this one, heavier, and making his knees buckle inwards a little. He grimmaced. "Hm, I can't do half the things I could do in my body with yours… Let's try this." He said, as he clenched his left fist, causing the hot sand to form a blade of sorts from the searing sand. On the inside, the sand was warm, but on the outside, it seemed extremely hot. Dark sheathed his other blade, finding it uneccesary.

He jumped at the wyvern, cutting into it, with deadly speed, causing the wyvern to erupt into steam, and reforming seconds later, to threaten Dark again, who merely slashed at it again. After the fifteenth time, Dark seemed to tire of swinging around the blade of steaming sand. Grimm had already become bored, and was now leaving Dark up to fighting. "Dammit! How… many times… will it… REFORM!" Swinging the blade of sand upwards, catching the Wyvern in its mouth, cutting through the jaw, its mouth, and through its massive scull. This time the whole Wyvern evaporated, taking a fatal blow. Dark panted for air. This is when he realized that Marac was wide open.

"GOTCHA!" He yelled, launching a spike of sand at Marac, who noticed this a bit late, tried to side step, and got nailed in the arm with the prokectile, cutting through him, then it became a mist of sand, and regathered to Dark's arm. He noticed that when he attacked Marac, the Wyvern was also damaged, judging from the roar of pain from it. Dark's body began to feel the fatigue being placed on him from this, and he dispelled the blade of sand, and began to dodge the rushes by Astra as best he could, but it was becoming proceedingly and proceedingly mmore difficult. Kirei noticed this. "Rooster, he's getting sloppy… Get in the crows nest, and lend him a hand." He said with a sly wink to his short spanish friend. "Aye, captain!" He said, in a heavy spanish accent, crawling up the rope ladder to help out Dark.

Dark was panting heavily. "Dark, I'm just about out of spare power to lend you…" Grimm said to him. Dark nodded. "I can tell, I've used up about all of my mortal power…" He said, as he barely dodged another charge, and the wyvern's watery composure hurt more than expected, cutting deep, and stinging like acid. Dark grunted, as Grimm's presence within dissappeared, and Dark felt his body go limp, and began to struggle to avoid. Marac began to laugh. "What, boy, can't keep it up anymore?" he said, with jaunty laughter. Kirei looked to the crows nest, where Rooster had began to ready his bow. "If anyone can land a mark in this heavy fog, it's Rooster, he's gotten us through numerous fogs worse than this…" He said, grinning as Rooster readied his secret weapon.

He reached into his backpack, and retrieved a cusioned package. He reached in, and unwrapped the package, which happened to be a quiver filled with arrows, but the tips were odd, made of hollow iron, filled with super combustible chemicals, and gunpowder for extra effect. Rooster wondered how he would stop a magical creature with explosives. "Mmm… now… If I shoot the blade… I should be able to stop da big mistay thing…" He muttered to himself, as he aimed at where he clearly saw Marac through the heavy mist stangling the air. "El dios presta velocidad a mi flecha." He said silently, letting loose an arrow that flew through the air swiftly, towards Marac.

Marac didn't even see it coming, but it missed, and thunked safely into the soft wood of the blood stained wood. He grinned at it, as he watched it sink into the wood, thinking at how stupid the man in the crow's nest was for missing him, and shooting so off, he almost hit the blade. But then, the tip exploded in a mighty combustion of fire and smoke, and there was a great roar from the wyvern. "Freedom…" Astra whispered on the wind, as he flew into the mist, dissappearing with the mist itself. Dark panted heavily, looking up to Rooster, who was cheering Dark on to finish Marac. "Take out the hibrido! –e's got no blade!" He yelled down from the nest, and Dark grinned at Marac, now holding onto a cracked sword hilt with soot covered bloody arm.

Dark dashed at him a final time, swinging his blade at his neck, but Marac blocked with a steel bracer, and forced back the blade, sending Dark reeling backwards, and he charged him, but Dark turned around, and with his buckler, backhanded him across the face, sending HIM reeling, and then, followed it up with a swift kick to the throat, knocking him on his back, and he held his blade at his throat, now tired beyond belief. "Marac… I win…" He said, and Marac coughed up some blood. "I guess so… so, what now? Gonna finish me?" He said, a small grin creeping onto his face. Dark shook his head. "Nah, I've got better things to do with you than kill you…" He said, aiming a swift kick to his head, knocking him out.

Dark grabbed him by the end of his cape, and dragged him to the gang plank, where he carelessly threw him over to the other boat, where Dyre had to reah over, and catch him to keep him from falling on. Dark shambled over to the Quest, and grinned. "He was a tough sonuvabitch." He said, with a lazy eye, and a lopsided grin on his face, collapsing onto the deck. Kirei looked at him curiously. "Bring him to his room for me." He said to a shipmate, and they picked him up, and lugged him off into the bedroom quarters. "Take care of him too." He said, motioning to Marac. Kirei turned to Jackle. "Yeah, so do me a huge favor, and explain… hmm… where to begin… everything." And Jackle nodded, and put on a pair of reading glasses, extracted a book from his jacket, and opened it, and paused.

"Whats the hold up for?" Kirei asked. Jackle held up a finger with a grin. "Wait for it…" And then, suddenly, there was a bang, a rumble, and the ship was almost hit with a cannon ball that sailed over the heads of the pirates, and landed harmlessly into the waters on the opposite side. Kirei glanced at Jackle who merely smiled at him. "I'll ask you later." He said, and Jackle nodded. "Good choice." He said, snapping his fingers, dissapearing mysteriously. "EVERYONE AT READY! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! TURN THE BOAT PARALLEL TO THE ATTACKER, READY THE CANNONS!" He called out, to his shipmates, who were scrambling swiftly around the deck to complete the orders givin to them.

"ROOSTER! WHO'S ATTACKING US!" He yelled up to his Spaniard companion. "Ahem, capitan… it looks like a fleet of royal ships… gilded beauties! Twelve cannons to a side on each galleon!" and at this, Kirei twitched. To have that many cannons, the ships must be HUGE… but slow… He thought, a grin creeping onto his face, as a plan entered his face. "HOW MANY, ROOSTER?" He asked. Rooster looked back out to sea. "Tres mi amigo." He called back down. Kirei scratched his head. There was no way he could get out of this mess without damages to his ship… he'd have to outrun those monstrosities.

"CANCEL MY PREVIOUS ORDER! SET SAIL AND FLEE!" He yelled out, shocking the crew. Yuan walked up to the captain. "What are we up againsssst?" He asked. "Three royal galleons." And Yuan blinked casually. "Apparantly, we've been bumped up on the wanted lissst…" He said, looking over the rail, to look at the three white and gold gilded ships pursuing behind. There was a cannon shot. Anna rushed to Kirei. "They've got front AND back mounted cannons too! They pivot as well!" And she giggled. "It seems my hunk of a man is a wanted by more than me!" She exclaimed, to lighten up the mood of the situation. It worked. Kirei suppressed a chuckle. "Yeah." He said, pressing his forefinger to forehead in thought, closing his eyes. "How to win this…" He thought.

Dyre watched as another cannon ball sailed by, almost nailing one of the three masts to the ship. With every shot, they seemed to get closer to taking out a mast. That's something Kirei couldn't afford. "KEEP STEADY SPEEDS, MOVE GENTLY TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT TO AVOID GETTING HIT!" He called out to the captain's cabin, where a shipmate had taken the helm, and another cannon sailed by, and the man moved the wheel to the left a little, and the ship tilted a tad. "Yeah, anyway, look at the map." Dyre said, unravelling a map. "If I've been paying attention, we should be about… here…" He said, pointing to the middle of the ocean between the two continents. Kirei nodded. "Roughly there…" He said, another cannonball being fired, and the ship moved to the side. "Now, if you look over here, right along the southern coast… theres a large concentration of swampland right … here." Dyre stated pointing to the coast, where there was strange land formation. He reached into his cloak and pulled out another map. "Here's another map, charting that area…" He said, unravelling another map.

"Heres a enlargened version of the swamp land. There seems to be a single entrance to the swamp with a large lake in the center, probably has been used for refuge by pirates like us, but reports of this has been long since." He said, Kirei nodded, interested in what Dyre had cooked up. He wasn't particularly bright, but when he had a stroke of brilliance, it was usually unrivalled. "See, we're JUST small enough to fit through, where those huge war galleons behind us…" a cannon shot sounding and a cannon ball sailing over head into the water as if in response, "Probably will never fit. So, they'll most likely dump their soldiers onto the coast. We can wait till they splinter into groups, and trek through the forest, where we should have traps, and ambushes, along with groups to take them out with waiting, armed and dangerous." He said with a grin on his face. Kirei laughed.

"And here I was thinking that you were just a complete moron! I'm glad I put you in the position of navigation!" He said, patting Dyre on the back with a laugh. "The only things to deal with… are those damned cannons." He said, as the three pursuers fired in unison, all missing, expect one, which nicked the railing, taking a large chunk out of it. Kirei frowned. "Shit."

**CLIFFAY! So, Kishazi, I know you're reading this… did I make the crew any better? I hope I did! As well as the rest of you, leave me a lovely review! AND STAY TUNED IN LATER, AND LEAVE ME MUCHO REVIEWS!**


	8. The Prelude To Bloodied Sands

**Hey guys. Theres has been a HUGE crisis in my life. So I'm going to be cranking out the chapters like crazy. Because I need to get away from reality, even though no matter how I try, I cant get the worry and memories out. Oh well, I shall write for you guys, I hope you enjoy them.

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Kirei, Dyre, Anna, Rooster, Rat, and Yuan walked off the gangplank onto soft squishy swampland. "Wheeeeee! SQUISHY!" She said, gleefully jumping up and down on the swampland. Kirei resisted the urge to push her into the water nearby as she jumped around. "Whats the plan?" Yuan asked. Dyre cleared his throat, pulling out some maps. "Ok, see, heres a close up map of the coast. The eastern coast of the swampland is much bigger than the western side… so we'll need to deploy more on the east, obviously." And the others nodded. Yuan looked to Kirei.

"Who will be going where?" He asked, and Kirei looked at the group, balancing out strengths and weaknesses in his mind. "Ok, on the western side, you can go, Yuan, with Rat." And he nodded. "But what happens if Dark Jackle or Marac come to join us?" He asked, and Kirei stroke his chin. "Well, in that case, you patrol the back, being naturally fast." He said, and he nodded. "Dyre, you can go on the far eastern coast with Rooster…" And Dyre glared at the short Hispanic who was staring at Anna's chestas she jumped around, with a smile on his face.

"Why do I have to go with the short pervert!" He yelled at Rooster. Rooster glared at him. "Ai! Shut it, I don't want to be on the same team as you, hijo de una ramera!" and Dyre clocked him sharply on the head. "What did you call my mother!" Kirei rolled his eyes. "And lastly, me and Anna will take the western portion of the eastern coast. She stopped bouncing and tackled him. "I see how it is… you want to be all alone with me…" She said winking at him from her stanglehold hug. "Let… go… please…" he choked out, prying her off him. "EVERYONE! EVENLY SPLIT UP BETWEEN ME, DYRE, AND YUAN!" Kirei called out, turning to the group of pirates. He wasn't sure if he had enough to take on three boat fulls of opponents… but he could only try. His men weren't weak at all, and with Dark too, they might all stand a favorable, but flimsy chance. He knew he couldn't back down now.

Dark was dreaming, again. Those same eyes, that smile, how he wished to be with her again… Then he was shaken awake. "WHA!" He exclaimed slurred, as he was shaken by Mali. "Oh…" He said, wiping his eyes. Mali looked at him strangely. "Why were you crying in your sleep?" Dark blinked a few times, and then ran a hand across his face, noticing tears. "Er, I poked myself in the eyes…" He said, and Mali giggled. "Suuuuure." She said, and Dark frowned. "Whats that supposed to mean?" He asked, as she got off of him, so he could stand up. "Its what you make of it." She said with another giggle, as she scuttled up his leg and onto his shoulder.

"Where's Marac?" He asked Mali, and she pointed down the hall, around a corner. "He's down there, all the way at the end of the hallway, being protected by some random creepy dude." She said, and Dark nodded. He was somewhat sore form the battle with Marac, he thought as he walked down the hall towards where Mali said he was. Eventually, he made it to the captive's dungeon, where a tall man sat, wearing a long black cloak, hood over his head, pulled down over his eyes, head lowered. "Erm, hello? My captive is in there, I'd like to… claim him?" He asked with a sheepish grin. The man didn't move, or show signs of life at all.

"What the hell? Does Kirei employ zombies?" He asked, as he poked the man. "Um, if you're not up to the job of unlocking the door, I'll just take the keys…" Dark said, reaching for the keyring on the rack. The man's hand caught his. "No, that's quite alright." He said, standing up, and grabbing the keys. "I'm sorry, I was napping, this post doesn't allow much amusement." He said, looking down at Dark, from his immense height. Dark looked up into hood, to see if anything was even there, but all he saw was a bleak outline of a mouth on a pale face, obscured by some sort of chilling shadow. Dark mentally shuddered, for there was something horribly wrong with this man. The man unlocked the door, and Marac was sitting there, on the bed. He looked to the light pouring in from the newly opened door.

"Oh, hello there Young Master. So, what brings you to my humble dungeon? Planning to whisk me off my feet, and romance me on the ocean?" He asked mockingly. Dark didn't appreciate his aged humor. "No, but if you want the heel of my boot up your ass, I'd suggest you keep talking like that, now, get moving." He said sternly. Marac scoffed. The man chuckled. The two then began to walk off the gangplank, and there was Jackle, writing in his book, scribbling feverishly, as he looked to the swamp, and then noticed the two.

"Aha, there you are. The Captain has already set up his men and ambushes on the coast. I do believe in order to balance the forces, Marac should go on the west side, and Dark, the far east side." He said, his one eye looking up from his book. "What about you?" And Jackle snapped his book shut. "As I have said earlier, I prefer to observe, and if the need be, I shall jump in, and lend my aid. Otherwise, I shall obsere." And the two nodded. Dark turned to Marac. "So, old man, think you can keep up with me? Because I don't slow down for anyone, and if you can't keep up, its your own downfall." He said, and Marac nodded, cracking his neck. "I'm sure I can, child." And Dark jumped into the trees, and Marac followed.

As they jumped from branch to branch, Dark was deep in thought about his companion Jackle. Why did he observe, and not join in, and become a part of whatever he is writing? Wouldn't that be human nature? There's definitely something shady going on… Dark thought as they hopped limb to limb, towards the setting sun of the coast. After a little while of travelling, there were cut across by a small speeding object. Dark and Marac stopped quickly, taking an offensive position. Then the small speeding object shot back in front of them. It was rat. "Hey! Guys, hurry up, and get to your postitions, Kirei was getting worried about you! Last thing he needed was to fight off the Royals, AND defend two weak people, but all seems well. Hurry up now, I'll report to Kirei." He said, and the two nodded, as he shot off to the east.

"Ok, follow him. Don't fuck up, I've given you enough trust to go on your own. Don't screw up, or you won't be in enough pieces to regret it later." He said, his expression hardening up, as a murderous gleam entered his eyes. A cold chill entered his soul, as he realized what he had gotten into for losing that battle: For sparing him, he now, by the mercenary code of honor he was built around, had to work off his debt to him with his life, and that if he screwed up, he would easily end it, and he knew this too. "Yes, young master." He said silently, parting with him, as the two approached the opposite coasts.

Jackle hovered above the scene, watching the boats get closer and closer to the coasts. "I do wonder how much Streis wants for info…" He said, closing his eyes. "I've yet to question his motives… what does he have in plan for the young Dark… but I need that book… I have to gain the knowledge within…" He said, as he began to write again, as the plot of mortals and gods began to play out under his feet.

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**Heh, I kinda like that ending XD Well, leave me a reviews guys, you know you want to review me! Because you guys all love me, right? Right? I hope so XD Well, tune in later for another chappy! **


	9. Bloodied Sands, and Absolute Indignation

**Heh, thanks for the consideration Ri2, but this isn't something I need to confront, its something I need time away from, time to think about, and try and move ahead with XD don't you worry, I should be fine. And I need a reason to write, so this will be my motivation. Well, enjoy another chapter, everyone!

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Dark made it to the coast. "Ah, Shadowborn, you are here." Yuan said, from within his hood, his long tongue poking out of the shadow cast over his scaly face by the hood. "Mhm, I'm to accompany you… who else is with us, as commanders?" He asked Yuan. "Only Rat, the other side has more commanders for there is more on that side." He said, and Dark nodded, as he unsheathed his blade, and a maniacal grin crept on his face, as his soul danced in anticipation of new battle, as he watched the men set traps in the forest and set up garrisons, and crossbowmen lined up their targets-to-be. Yuan fingered the hilts of the two rapiers under his hooded cloak, as Rat joined them.

On the other side of the coast…

Dyre kicked the Spaniard. "Oh, god, SHUT UP!" He yelled at him, and Rooster growled at him, as he pointed a knife at him. "Aye, you hebrido, you started it, and hell, I will end it." He said, wounding Dyre's pride, as not only a half-rate pirate just verbally challenged him to death, just happens to be a short one, who is threatening to kill him with his puny knife. "I WILL WIPE YOUR PUNY EXISTENCE OFF THIS BEACH!" He roared, as his fist flared up, and he reared it back, and Rooster was stunned in awe, that he'd actually go this far.

A hand grabbed his flaming one from behind. It was Marac. "Aye, there will be no existence-wiping today, child." He said, and Dyre was amazed at how he could hold his magic and fist in place. "And who do you think you are?" He asked, as he turned around, and lashed out on him. Marac ducked a flaming fist, and still holding his other, he reversed it, and pressed it against his back, and kicked his feet out form under him, and pressed his face into the soft sand. "Who's your daddy?" He asked comically, as he forced his face into the sand. Rooster was on his back cracking up, as was many other men. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Dyre roared, struggling to get the aged mercenary off him, but he had him securely pinned in submission. "C'mon, who's your daddy?" He asked, a smirk on his face. Dyre gave in. "…you are…." He said, and Kirei and Anna ran up to the group.

"What's going on?" Kirei asked, as Marac chuckled as he got off the now egotistically injured Dyre. "Aye, captain, just teaching the young'uns some lessons in respect." He said, with a curt nod of the head. Kirei looked at the laughing men. He then realized what happened and suppressed laughter himself. "Heheh, did Marac put you in your place Dyre?" and he looked at the ground with a growl. "…Shut it." He said, and he walked into place with the rest of the men, helping with the ambush. Marac scratched his head. "Why is the boy taking it so badly? No sense of humor? It's a good habit to make to learn how to laugh at yourself…" He said, as he joined the rest of the men, including Rooster, who thanked him for 'getting the tall moron off his back'. Anna and Kirei joined there group, and eventually, walked off to a secluded spot, in which Kirei sat down.

"Ah, finally, quiet time… the noise kills me…" He said, massaging his temples. Anna giggled. "Kirei, we're alone…" She said, and Kirei looked at the ground. "Anna, we're in the forest, there no one around to joke around with, so please, cut it out…" He said, and she frowned. "Who said I was kidding around?" She said, and Kirei looked up. "Huh-?" and then Anna kissed him.

Dark stood in place, concealed within the shadows of the trees. He had been plotting a trap for the royals that would be stampeding his side of the beach. He just needed to get to the shadow the huge boat cast on the beach, and they were screwed. He might take a wound or two… but it'd take down so many of their men. Then they finally landed and began unloading men onto the beach. "Oh, man, the ship is so packed, eh? I mean, they have horrible living conditions in there!" One of them said, as the ship eclipsed them. Yuan whispered to the men. "Don't attack until I give the word…" He said, and they all nodded in unison. Dark jumped out, and Yuan tried to grab at him, but to no avail.

Dark let loose a fierce war call as he descended upon them. The crossbowmen all took aim at him, and Yuan clasped a hand over his face, in exasperation at Dark's recklessness. "FIRE!" One of the generals yelled, and they all let loose their bolts, and suddenly, just as they were all to hit Dark, he grinned twistedly, as he suddenly disappeared. They all looked around. "Where did he go?" The captain asked. He heard a voice from behind him. "Right here." He heard, and the last thing he saw before he died, was a pair of flaming crimson eyes. That's all they saw, as they all ran for their lives, scrambling at the sighting of this demon from the shadows. "NOW, NOW! DON'T RUN FROM YOUR FATE!" He called out to them, as he chased them down, and cut them down. One by one fell, by the edge of his blade. The crew were all dumbstruck and haunted by the sheer ferocity of Dark's killing, as he laid one after the other to death.

He stood there, blood dripping off his blade, the sun slowly setting over the horizon. The sands were stained red, and his crimson eyes were lowered, his gray bangs in his face, furious at himself for losing control again. Every time he dipped into the darkness, Chaos was waiting there, to pull him all the way under, submerging him in his malicious malcontent for humanity, and fueling him with murderous intent. Yuan walked up to him. "You ok, Shadowborn?" and Dark stood there, motionless. "I don't know anymore." He said, watching the blood slide off the blade before sheathing it. "Let's move onto the east coast, and see how they're doing…" He said, and they all nodded.

Elsewhere…

Everyone was struggling against the groups of royals. They nearly doubled the men that they had, and many of the crew had already died in the fight, at least half of them were already dead. Kirei had already taken three blows, a large cut across the chest, one across his chest, and the other, a stab wound in his leg. Dyre too was wounded, as was Rooster, who was frantically firing off arrows into soldiers, occasionally switching to his exploding arrows when a large group surfaced. Anna was the one who was least hurt of them all, being a woman, most of the soldiers underestimated her, and died at the hands of a swift fell swipe of his rapier. Kirei was firing off his gun at them, picking them off one by one, switching to his rapier until he cleared out enough to refill his flintlock with some more shots. Then fifteen minutes from then, with almost all the men dead, and the generals commanding them seriously fatigued, and wounded.

"It's over, finally… I wonder if the west coast had as much trouble as we did…" and then, there was a roar from within the ships, as two huge groups poured from the two ships. Kirei's jaw dropped. At least four hundred soldiers opposed them now. "There's no way we can survive that! RETREAT TO THE SHIP!" He yelled to the now lessened group of pirates. Hopefully, the whole west coast survived, because that'd be the bare minimum they'd need to operate the ship, and keep it in good condition… there shouldn't have been this many deaths, this was unreal. They began to retreat, but suddenly; a huge ball of blue energy rolled down from the sky, and tore up the beach, annihilating half of the men on coast. Everyone turned in awe. They had saw him as nothing but a harmless scholar that shouldn't be bothered, but this was crazy.

His forearm was crackling with blue energy, his leather bound book in his other hand, jacket swaying in the wind. The soldiers stared him down. He had just killed half of them, the rest left with a searing memory of incredible pain that lasted for a split second, just enough to overload weak nervous systems. It was his way of rooting out the weak people. They disregarded his last attacks ferocity, and charged him anyway, and he flipped a few pages, and held his hand out to the group charging him. "Book of Flaws." He said, as he kept his hand outstretched to the oncoming group. He then snapped his book shut. "ABSOLUTE…" He yelled at them, as the sky crackled, and bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, as did balls of fire, and the sand kicked up around them, tearing them to bits, as they were set afire, and ravaged by lightning.

"…INDIGNATION!" He yelled again, stomping his foot into the ground, reopening his book, pointing towards the sky, as the ground cracked under his foot, as the crack surged towards them, and when it got there, the ground collapsed under them, and shot upwards from under their feet, and then, a huge pure bolt of constant lightning came down unto them, forming a dome of crackling energy around them, cooking them within as they were ravaged by multiple elements. "ANNIHILATE!" Jackle roared a final time, and the dome exploded from the inside out, causing a boom of thunder and a flash of light, sending chunks of flaming earth everywhere as the wind around the opponents died down, but the sky above still crackled dangerously with lightning, crisscrossing the clouds. He sighed, looking a little tired. He turned to Kirei and his remaining crew. "Are we all set? I'm sorry I intervened at the last possible moment, but I was a little behind in my writing." He said with a smile, striking all of them silent still with the magical destruction he had just caused. Dark's crew had been watching too, just arriving at the beginning of the attacks. Jackle walked into the woods. "Shall we go?" He asked, and Kirei nodded silently, gulping.

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**There you go everyone! A portion of Jackle's power revealed, a huge chapter, a finished battle, and soon, we shall be moving on with the plot line! Did you guys like? If you did, you better leave me a review! XD Well, stay tuned in for another chapter later, and review! NOW! Please! XD**


	10. Kacie, The Hermit of Doom

**Heh, is it just me, or do I sense one of my reviewers pissed at me? -Cough- Kishazi -cough- XD Well, here's a somewhat short chapter, which is kinda uneventful, but its still a chapter nonetheless. Well, enjoy the chapter!

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They all walked back to the ship. Kirei looked at the sky in contemplation. Anna was skipping about, and Dark was sighing. All these obstructions, random battles, and things keeping him from getting home, it was driving him insane. He was going to leave, since he was on the same continent as Hyrule, he could just walk the distance. "Hey, Kirei, I think I'm just going to walk the rest of the distance to Hyrule, thanks for the ride here. Kirei nodded. "No problem, I don't think I've had a more interesting … experience with you on my ship. If you ever need a ride across the ocean, look around the ports, we float around." He said. Dark nodded.

"Dyre, you coming with?" He asked, and Dyre thought a little. "Hrm… I would… But I've spent so much time on this boat with these guys… it'd feel weird to leave them, but then again, I have the feeling I should go with you. I think I will." He said, and he walked besides Dark and his friends. Dark looked at the others. "Anyone else wanna come with?" He asked laughing. Kirei frowned, while still smiling at the same time. "Hey, don't be stealing my entire crew on me!" he said, and Dark smiled. "Maybe I will." And then he laughed. "I don't need to, but if another person wants to come, I'll take one more." He said, and the crew looked to each other.

"Hey… Kirei, can I go?" Anna asked, which surprised Kirei. "That's surprising, you've been on The Quest nearly as long as I have!" He said, blinking at her. She shrugged. "Well, I think I should keep an eye on Dyre, keep him from getting in trouble. Mind you, he's going back to Hyrule with Dark, meaning there are going to be Gerudo swarming all over him. Remember that 'spiritual quest' that he left on a while ago? I don't think that they all believe that." She said, and Dark shook his head. "I don't think Traysa would believe that." He said with a chuckle. "No, she wouldn't." he said with a frown. He rolled his eyes. He was supposed to marry her. That's one of the reasons why he left. She's far too headstrong for him, and she's older than him by a good few years. She was like twenty-two, and he was eighteen. He didn't particularly like older women.

"So… if you're going take this." He said, reaching into his holster, and with a twirl, handed her his gun. She blinked. "But, that's your flintlock." She said, and he nodded. "Well, I can't go to keep an eye on you, so my gun will. And, you'll have to return it, or I'll go for look for you." He said, and she grinned. "Aw, how sweet, don't worry I'll be back to finish our business." She said with a wink, and Kirei flushed. "STOP LIEING!" He exclaimed and everyone looked at him. This happened constantly, but for some reason this time was … different? She smiled innocently. "Ok then." And then she turned and continued to skip alongside the now growing group.

As they went, Dark looked to Mali, who looked bored out of her mind. "I hate traveling." She stated, and Anna nodded. "I do to, specially on foot, it hurts." She said, and Mali nodded. "Lucky me, I have Dark to sit on!" She said, and he looked up at her. "Yeah, and you make my shoulder sore every time." He said, and she looked at him, hurt. "What is that supposed to mean, are you saying I'm fat!" She exclaimed, and Dark looked at her, blinking. "No…" And she jumped off his shoulder. "Aww, poor thing." Anna said, picking her up, and plopped Mali onto her shoulder. "There you go, I won't complain like mean ol' Darkie." And he scoffed. "Fine then, stay over there, I don't care." He said, bugged by the fact that he was now ignoring her, over something he didn't mean." Mali sniffled, and buried her face into Anna's neck. "He doesn't love me anymore either!" She whined, and Anna pat her head. "You'll be fine…" She said, and she looked at Dark with an acid glare.

"What! I didn't do anything!" He exclaimed, then, he just lowered his head, as he walked along. Dyre laughed. "Women. They'll always team up against you. Even if they don't mean to." He said, laughing, as they continued their way along the fields, until nightfall. Mali and Anna were still giving Dark the cold shoulder, and it was bringing him down. Jackle and Dyre had gotten into at least a dozen arguments, in which Jackle won most of them, ripping Dyre completely to shreds. Dark looked at the dark sky. "Maybe we should find a place to bunk?" He said, and Anna shrugged. They continued along the field, until they came upon a random Japanese styled home, hurt like, with mats and all, with gas lamps lighting the outside.

A rather short girl, wearing a green samurai robe that stopped shortly after her knees, and from there, she wore deep blue pants, and under her robe, she wore a red tunic, and on her waist, was a long katana in an ornate black sheath. She had a little below shoulder length brown hair, and was standing there, eyes closed, in deep contemplation, looking very sage-like. Dark approached her first. "Um, hello? Do you think we could stay the night here?" He asked, and she stood there, eyes closed still. "Hello?" Dark asked again. She smiled. "Mmmmmm… nachos…" She said, reaching into her pocket, and fished out a chip and popped it into her mouth. Everyone nearly fell over. "Huh? Did you ask something?" And Jackle nodded. "Yes, if we can stay the night in your home." He said, and she nodded. "Sure, we hadn't had visitors for a while, out here in the middle of nowhere." She said, gesturing into the house. Dark rolled his eyes. "I wonder why." He said. She smiled. "By the way, the name's Kacie." And Jackle blinked a few times. "Strange name…" He said, as they all entered her house, as she entered with them.

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**There you all go! I'll have fun with the random person named Kacie who resides randomly in the middle of the plains. Things will be funny XD and also, expect Christmas filler tomorrow, since it'll be Christmas Eve, and I feel like getting everyone in the spirit XD Well, leave me a review, and tune in for the next chapter of Dance of Darkness !**


	11. Wooooo, CHRISTMAS FILLER!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Ho ho ho, garden hoe, rake, weedwhacker, SLEDGEHAMMER! Ehem. No more egg nog for me. –Shifty eyes- Yes, well, erm, enjoy the chapter! By the way, there is a joke in here, which includes weed, and I don't promote smoking, or weed at all. It's just a fictional portrayal. So don't freak out XD its fiction, and its humor. So, enjoy the chappy!

Dark, Jackle, Dyre, Anna and Mali walked in, and were dumbstruck. The inside was plastered in cheap lights, along with fake snow carpeting the flooring, and a cardboard tree in the middle of the living room. At the table, sat a man, about 6'2, with somewhat messy short black hair, and stared down at the table which was also covered in the fake snow. "How the hell am I supposed to eat on this?" He asked, apparently to Kacie, but met the faces of Dark and his crew. "Who the hell are you guys! Bandits AGAIN!" he exclaimed, reaching into his pockets, and pulling out a pair of brass knuckles, and charged Dark, being the front of the group.

Dark stepped back as a blazingly fast fist went whizzing by his face, and Dark caught his other wrist, and twisted it, as he ducked a backhand from the right unrestrained fist, and grabbed that one too. "Um, we're not bandits…" He said, but he was head butt by the man mid-sentence. Dark stumbled back. "OW! FUCKER!" He exclaimed, as he unsheathed his blade and charged the man at full speed with his blade, catching him completely off guard, and slashed at him speedily. But his blade never made it to his opponent.

Kacie stood crouched between the two, stopping the blade very last second. She had caught it with his hand, which had a plate conveniently placed on her palm, and on the opposite side. She smiled. "I'm sorry, I should have walked in first, Josh likes to fight, and enjoys it here, because the only visitors we get tend to be bandits, thinking us as simple targets." She said simply. Dark blinked. She stopped his blade. That was … new. "Oh yeah, no problem…" Dark said. "Well, this is the crew, since I'm assuming you two are the only ones living here… This is Jackle, Anna, Mali and Dyre." He said, motioning to the appropriate members of his party.

Kacie nodded, and hopped over to Josh, who she hugged promptly. "This, is my man-meat, Senor Fabu… err, I mean Joshy-poo." She said, snuggling him, and pissing him off. "Don't call me Joshy-anything." He said, and she pouted. "Fine then, just don't attack the visitors! They might have jello." She said, and Josh cringed. "…Ew…" Everyone with Dark were stumped as to what to say. Even Anna. She was insane, like most with Dark, not weird as hell. "A question: What the hell is this stuff on the floor?" Jackle asked, picking up some of the weird stuff.

Kacie picked up a handful, and launched it at Jackle. "ITS MANAFACTURED SNOW! SNOW BALL FIGHT!" She yelled, launching another handful at them, and then diving under the table. "…….." Everyone was speechless, and Kacie was hiding under the table, as if something were to explode. Josh rolled his eyes. "And I married that." And then he shrugged, and picked up and handful and threw it at her, and they proceeded to tear up the living room in an epic snow war. Eventually Kacie was hit, and she dramatically fell to the floor. "Urgh! I've been hit! I'm dying!" and she fell into a pile of snow, and Josh acted surprised. "Noooooooooo!" He exclaimed, as he fell on top of her, in mock weeping. She then squeaked loudly. "HEY! Not in front of the guests! If you want to do that, then lets do it in the flamingo room!" She said, and Dark cleared his throat. "Before you start doing anything, would you mind showing us to our rooms?" And Kacie frowned. "Aw, fine then. Senor Fabuloso, I'll meet you in the room." She said with a wink, still managing to keep the group silent out of awkwardness. "Follow …Meeeeeee!" She said, jumping into the hallway.

Everyone followed her, and she opened up a door, and everyone peeked in. There were approximately thirty-two pink plastic flamingos standing in a room with blue walls, a sky painted on the ceiling, and a grass-like carpet. "…I think we have stepped into an alternate dimension." Jackle said, as he blinked, dumbfounded by this house. Kacie blinked a few times, and closed the door. "I'm sorry, wrong room. They have a bad tendency to move themselves around the house." And Dyre looked at her. "How the fuck do rooms move themselves!" He asked, and she smiled. "Well, the house was built on a geyser, and the house is built on a rotary like thing, that spins the outside rooms around, and when the geyser erupts, it revolves the rooms. The middle room stays stationary though." She said, and she was met with a bunch of weary eyes. "It's totally safe, I assure you!" She said, and they shrugged, as se led them to the next room, which had four beds in them.

Dark walked in, and turned to Kacie. "Why do you have a guest room, if the only visitors you get are bandits?" and she thought about that. "Hm… I have no idea! See you in the morning, there's a whip in my bedroom with Joshy-poo's name written on it! Good night!" She said, closing the door, and they all shrugged, slowly becoming accustomed to the strangeness. They all got in bed, happy for being able to sleep on a mattress for once. Dark moved over to make space for Mali, but then he realized she was sleeping alongside Anna. He sighed, and rolled over, and then he felt a presence besides him. "Aww, I wuv you too, Darkie!" Mali whispered in his ear, and he blushed lightly. "Shut it." He said, as they and the rest of them fell asleep.

The next day…

All were awoken by a loud booming females voice. "WAKE UP! ITS CHRISTMAS!" She yelled, and everyone jumped out of bed, and landed on the ground with a thump. Kacie cracked up. "SANTY CLAUSE CAME LAST NIGHT, AND HE FORGOT TO LEAVE! MAINLY BECAUSE I CAUGHT HIM IN THE ACT, AND WRAPPED HIM ENTIRELY IN TAPE!" She exclaimed, and everyone was curious. Dyre whispered to Jackle. "What the fuck is Santa?" He asked Jackle, and he shrugged. "I don't know, but in another realm, I think it's some sorta demi-god, perhaps?" He whispered back. They walked outside, into the main room, and there this 'Santa' was, a man in a red and white jacket, as well red and white breeches, and a red festive looking fuzzy hat.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU BROKE IN, DON'T LIE, WE DON'T HAVE A CHIMNEY, SO TRY AND TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS, YOU FUCKER! AND WHY IS THERE TEN POUNDS OF WEED IN YOUR JACKET TOO!" She exclaimed, holding a boken, a wooden Japanese sword, and began to beat the hell outta him with it. Josh walked out of the hallway into the main room. "Kacie, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, and she grinned devilishly. "Beating this guy worse than I did to you last night!" And Josh cringed. "Oooo, I kinda feel bad for the guy." He said, and everyone was silent, as continued to beat the hell outta him, as he stood silent. Josh blinked a few times. "Wait a minnit Kacie, calm down…" He said, as he took off Santa's beard. "Kevin!" He said, and then he noticed that his mouth was taped over as well, which he took off.

"THANK YOU, THE SADISTIC BITCH HAD MY MOUTH TAPED DOWN SO I COULDN'T TALK, SO SHE COULD BEAT THE HELL OUTTA ME, THE CRAZY BITCH!" He exclaimed, and Kacie giggled, as she ran out of the room, into the hallway., locking the door behind her. Kevin stood up, and took off his hat. "Fucker." He said, as he reached into his jacket, and gave Josh a pound of weed. "Merry Christmas, you nazi!" He said, and Josh frowned. "I'm not the nazi, Kacie is." He said, and Kevin shrugged. He then looked at Dark. "GASP! HOLAY SHIT! ITS THAT PERSON I SPEND FOREVER WRITING ABOUT- never mind. I didn't say a thing. Damn, I need to go before I blow my cover! And Dark, beware of small girls." He said, hiding behind the Christmas tree. Jackle looked behind the tree. "Sir, what's a nazi…? Hey, where'd he go?" He said, realizing that Kevin disappeared from behind the cardboard tree, and most likely from the house. "That was odd…"

Dark blinked. "What'd he mean, beware of small girls?" He asked, and then looked at Mali. "Don't look at me, I'm no more clueless than any of you!" She said, and he shrugged. Kacie walked out of the hallway. "I sensed that Kevin left the house using super ninja powers." And Josh nodded. "Yes he did, and he left you a present." He said, handing her a bag of weed, which was labeled: FOR THE NAZI. She smiled. "How considerate of him!" She said, tucking the bag away within her robe. Dark nodded, backing away towards the door. "I think we'll be leaving now…" He said, and the others agreed in unison, and they all turned to the door, and opened it. But it wasn't the same plain that they found this house at. "What the fuck." Dark said, closing the door and opening it again, repeatedly. "Why… the… fuck… cant… we…. Go… Home!" He said, opening and closing the door rapidly, to no avail.

"Oh yeah, we also think that the plateau we live on is some sort of sub-species of dimension hopping turtle." Josh said. Kacie ran over and pushed them away, and closed and opened the door herself, out of amusement. "Its like a refrigerator!" She said, and Anna looked at Kacie. "What's a refrigerator?" and Kacie grabbed them all by their wrists, and dragged them into the kitchen, and showed them a big metal square. "This is a 'fridge'!" She said, and opened the door, and a light of some sort emanated from the box, and Anna opened and closed it repeatedly. "OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo…" She said, as she amused herself with the fridge, as did Mali. The others, though, weren't amused for that long. Dark looked to Kacie.

"How do we get back to our plane?" He asked, and Kacie watched the fridge intently for five minutes. "HEY! HOW DO WE GET HOME!" He yelled, and Kacie jumped. "No need to yell, I can hear you!" She said, and he rolled his eyes. "Just come caroling with us, and we'll get you home!" and Dark glared at her. "You're holding us captive, to go singing with you!" He exclaimed, and Kacie cringed. "You looked like Kevin when he's angry, for a second there." And she nodded. "Yes, I'm holding you captive, and all you have to do, is go singing with us!" She said, and Dark grumbled. "What the hell… every single time, I get delayed from getting home…" He said, and she ran into the closet nearby.

She then ran out with red and white jackets, shirts, pants, and even hats. "One for each of you! Even one for the small girl!" She said, handing Mali a Santa-like set up. Her and Dark looked at them. "They're kinda odd…" He said, and Mali and Anna jumped around him. "C'mooooon, pleeeeeease? Wear it with us!" They pleaded with him, and Dark crumbled. "Fine, fine!" and then he turned to Mali. "You say a word to Sheik, and I will destroy you." He said cheerfully to her, making her twitch. He pat her on the head. "Nah, I wouldn't do that, but you get the picture." He said, plopping her on his shoulder. Kacie walked out of one of the rooms, with Josh. "We're ready, what about you?" She asked, and they all donned their Christmas attire. Dyre growled. "You owe me big time, Dark." He said, and Dark smiled. "I've got something in mind, how about getting Traysa off your back?" He said, and Dyre smiled. "Deal." Dark looked to Jackle, who actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

"It seems you don't seem to mind." Dark said. Jackle shook his head. "No, I'm actually quite curious as to what this culture with 'Santa' in it is like." He said, and Kacie and Josh opened the door, with a grin, as they were hit with a gust of cold wind, and they stepped into what seemed like a different world, lights coating homes, and people wandering about the smooth snow covered streets, singing, and starting snowball fights. Kacie was then hit dead in the face with a snowball. "REVENGE FROM THE BEATING!" Kevin's voice called out, as he disappeared. She wiped the snowball from her face. "I'll get him back later." She said, a grin on her face, but first, she handed them all cards with cheery sounding lyrics on them. "This is the kinda stuff I prefer to set on fire." Dark said, as they began to wander the streets, Kacie and Josh singing at the front. "This is going to kill me." Dark said.

XDD Cliffy to holiday filler! That apparently means there will be two Christmas chapters, somewhat falling into plotline, because it's a hindrance to Dark XD Lets just hope it doesn't stretch too far, and I can end it on Christmas. XD well, tune in to part two of the holiday filler! XD I wonder if it'll be as random and pointless as this one!


	12. Dark gets OWNED

Grimm stood there, at a coffee machine. "Mmmmmm mocha…" He said, filling his cup, and then he turned around. "What the hell!" he said, spotting the audience. "Erm, I'm assuming you want more story? Preferably the Christmas filler?" He said, and the audience nodded. Grimm shrugged. "Well, you can't have it." The audience began to boo. "Hey, it's not me, it's the author. He lost the Christmas spirit, and he ran outta weed, so he couldn't finish the funny." He said, and they all nodded in agreement. "Can't write humor without weed." A voice form the crowd said. Grimm took a sip from his mug, which said 'number one reaper' on it.

The author then entered, stage left. "Hello, Grimm, here's what I'd like for you to say." Kevin said, handing Grimm a sheet of paper. Grimm looked at Kevin. "Why do I have to do this?" He said, and Kevin smiled as he walked off stage. "Because, I'm the writer, and you're just my fictional portrayal of Death!" He said, and left. Grimm frowned. "Dammit. Anyway. Ehem."

"Due to a lack of weed, Kevin will not be writing the rest of the Christmas filler as his final act of randomness. What happened on that fateful day will be forever lost in the sands of time, and we will never know what befell Dark, his crew, Kacie, and Josh as well as they're dimension hopping, rotational-roomed turtle home." He then paused. "Our story takes place, back in the fields, approaching Hyrule, with Dark, Mali, Anna, Dyre and Jackle. Now leave me in peace, so I can drink my coffee." He said, snapping his fingers, and the scene shifted to Dark and the others trekking the plains.

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As they walked, Dark, Anna and Mali skipped along in front, and Dyre shuddered. Jackle frowned. "Still haven't recovered from what happened huh?" Jackle said, and Dyre twitched. "I don't think I ever will." He said, and Jackle laughed. "I'm sure you will." He said, and pulled out his book, and began to write in it again. "FINALLY! IM ON MY WAY HOME!" Dark exclaimed happily, and Mali giggled. "Can't wait to see Sheik, huh?" And Dark grinned. "Shhhh…" He said, and she laughed. Jackle looked from the corner of his eye. He still didn't think he had enough info… he needed that book. But soon, his chance would be approaching.

Anna looked at the horizon. "Is that a…small girl?" She asked, and the others looked at each other. Dyre looked ahead, straining his eyes that were honed on the sea, like Anna's. "Yeah… that little girl in green?" He asked, and she nodded. Dark looked ahead. "I can barely see her… what's she doin?" He asked. Anna looked a little harder. "She… seems to be training with a long sword!" She said, and Dark blinked. "How old did you say she was?" He asked, and she shook her head. "I didn't. But she looks about nine." She said, and he blinked. "Let's go find out what she's doing all the way out here in the flat lands." He said, dashing off towards the small girl. Jackle jumped up and flew behind him, Anna and Dyre lagging behind, neither having speed nor flight on their side.

Dark looked at her, as she sheathed the long sword, which was roughly as long as she was tall, and she was about four foot six. "Hello little girl! Where are your parents?" He asked her, childishly. She smiled up at him. "They are where you're going to go if you keep talking to me like that." She said innocently, and behind him, Jackle snickered. Dark laughed, trying to hold back resentment at her nerve. "Heh…heh…heh… That was funny little girl… why don't you go run along now and get lost." He said, patting her on the head, and she swat his arm, grabbed it, and jumped up, and drove a boot into his chin, and flipped off of him, and landed on her feet, and Dark lay on his back, looking at the sky.

She laughed, running a hand through her long blonde hair, after taking off her green cap. Dark had just realized who she reminded him of. Link. They wore the exact same clothes, tunic and weird cap and all. "I wonder… while I was gone… did Link do Zelda?" Dark asked himself, as he slowly stood up, an unnerving silence about his eyes as he peered down at the small child, who stared up at him with an unrelenting smile. Cocky like Link too. She unsheathed her blade, and Anna and Dyre walked up, out of breath, and Jackle was writing feverishly. "Are you gonna fight the cute widdle child Dark? WHATS WRONG WITH YOU! HAVE YOU NO MORALS!" She yelled, shaking Dark by the shoulders.

"LET … ME … GO!" He yelled, managing to throw her off his shoulders. "She wants to… I'll just have to oblige her." He said, a crazed grin on his face, looking down at the girl, who kept that cocky grin on her face. Everyone except Jackle sighed, and backed away, as he unsheathed his blade. Dark's evil was showing, and they could all feel it, practically radiating off of him. While good company, and humorous, in battle, he was a ruthless devil who would strike down any in his path to what he desired. "That's what you want, isn't it, little girl… to die?" He said, a manic gleam entering his eyes that made the small girl's smile fade. The look in his eyes… they were of Chaos'… and the man with the blue Triforce emblem… and the male Gerudo…

She jumped at him, moving so fast, she practically disappeared, and reappeared in Dark's face, a stern look on her face, and her eyes revealed an age different from her appearance. She was a seasoned warrior, and Dark spot this from the very beginning, and didn't hold back.

As she swung the long sword with both hands, Dark leaned backwards, as the blade whizzed right over his face, the sword cutting the wind itself. He back flipped, bringing his boot up at her in the process, while she was still mid air from the strike. She blocked with the broad side of her sword, and pushed off his boot in mid air and came down with a vertical cartwheel slash, which Dark avoided barely again. He couldn't keep letting her set the pace of this battle. He had to slow her down, or go faster. He chose the latter.

He moved faster and faster, his sword strikes matching hers, striking and bouncing off, as they fought faster and faster to match each others pace. But, for some reason, Dark felt his speed slipping. He hadn't been able to feed Chaos lately… so his power was out of reach. And Grimm only appeared when utterly needed. Dark grimaced as his guard wore down, and she began getting through. She threw a right hook at him, which he blocked with his forearm, and grabbed it, and threw her like a rag doll, a good five feet away, and caught his breath. The girl stood up, and looked at her knees, which were skinned, and beginning to bleed. She sniffled. "You…hurt me…" She said, and Dark's guard was let down, as she sheathed her blade. He sheathed his own weapon. This proved a fatal mistake on his part.

She dashed at him, and he growled, and attempted to un-sheath his blade, but he was hit in the chest with a flying kick, sending him flying backwards, and she back flipped off of him, and jumped at him, boot landing on his chest again as she did some kind of heavy stomping dance on Dark's chest. Then he caught her by the ankle, and slammed her into the dirt, and slammed her into the dirt again. He held her up by the ankle, and raised her up so that she was eye level with him. His eyes were aflame. It seemed Chaos, even though in stasis, had surfaced. "Farore's Daughter. Prepare to die." But then, she placed a hand on his face, and she smiled gently, and there was a golden flash, and Dark was on the ground, looking at the sky. "Ow. That… really… hurt." He said, as he coughed up a cloud of smoke.

She giggled and skipped over to him. "That was fun! Next time, I'll use all of my strength, but here's an invitation to my world tournament I'm staging!" She said, dropping an envelope on his chest. He coughed in response. "Alright then! I'll assume you and the reincarnations will be coming! Bring anyone else you want to! The location is in the envelope! I can't wait to fight you at your fullest there!" She said, overly enthusiastic, skipping away, until a wind picked up, and scattering leaves blurred her figure, and she disappeared with the winds. Jackle looked down at Dark. "I do believe you just got whooped by a nine year old girl." He said, as the others looked down at the completely subdued Dark. He just coughed.

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**Eh, I didn't think this was a very good chapter… but hell, I haven't updated in the longest time, it was overdue for a chappy, regardless of how good it was. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it, and leave me some reviews, and stay tuned for another chapter of Dance of Darkness later! See you guys then!**


	13. Reunion

**I'm back from stasis on this story! Hah, well, enjoy, some old favorites will be returning this chapter!XD**

**And you all know about the deal with the disclaimer. Enjoy!

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Dark and the group walked along. Dark's stamina had returned, but he was covered in some thin layer of ash from the explosion of energy the small girl had lit off. Dyre was still cracking up, and Jackle was looking around. "Where's Marac?" He asked, and Dark brushed off his tunic. "I told him to cover the rear. I didn't feel like listening to his war stories of mercenary...dom." He said sarcastically. "What if he attempts to escape?" Jackle asked. Dark shrugged. "I'll just send a demonic shadow to hunt him down, and I'll give him freedom from the Shadow Realm if he can bring Marac back without dying." He said with a pause. "A lot of shadows would like to escape, even if death is the penalty for failure." He said, and the others nodded.

Mali and Anna were walking behind them, chatting. "You got to sleep with Dark!" Anna exclaimed. mali giggled. "Uh huh!" She said. Anna was amazed. "How did you manage to get into his pants!" and Mali was confused. "...I wasn't in his pants, I was in his bed." She said, and Anna blinked. "Oh." Mali was confused. "What were you talking about?" She asked, innocently curious. Anna smiled. "I'll tell you when you get older."

Marac ran up from behind, and joined Dark. "Sir, there was a small girl, that asked me if you were going to accept the invitation?" He asked, with a look of inquistiveness. Dark frowned. "I have to, now. She kicked my ass... I'm going to have to put Sheik off for a littlewhile longer..." He said with a frown, as he opened the envelope which was sealed with a wax seal of a golden piece of triforce, and the envelope was a deep green color. As he opened it, everything around him was faded to white, and he turned to look at the others. They were still there, and just as confused. "What the hell's going on!" Dark asked, not enjoying the whiteness."ITS TOO BRIGHT!" Dark yelled in agony, dramatically falling to the ground twitching, while clutching his eyes, screaming in agony.

Elsewhere...

Link and Zelda walked towards the woods, into a Sheikan settlement, where Sheik lived. "How's she been doing since Dark left?" Zelda asked Link. Link shook his head. "She's been a mess. No fight in her anymore, she's just been lying around keeping that house she built for them two in good condition in case he returns." Link said, a frown on his face. Zelda ran a hand across her lips in thought. "He was supposed to return last year, no? On her sixteenth birthday, right?" She asked, and Link nodded, with a scowl. "The bastard promised her, and she's been a mess since, I've never seen her so happy in my life, waiting for him to return, then on her birthday, she stood at the door, waiting for him the entire day. He never showed." He said, and Zelda lowered her head. "Poor thing..." She said, as the approached the sturdy wooden home.

Sheik looked at herself in a mirror. She ran across the placid face. How did she let herself be manipulated by this little immature boy? She had lived two lives over, from changing time back, and she didn't learn. This had happened before, but she thought it would have been different with Dark. He seemed so different, and what she felt had felt so different with him, she thought it would all be so different, so much mroe wonderful, and she ended up getting screwed over. Why was she so suddenly dependant on this new guy? What made him so special that when he left, suddenly all the luster was sucked out of life? She punched the mirror in a fit of frustration, but it didn't do her any help but cut her fist up. Not like it hurt, she had gotten used to the pain...

There was knocking at the door, and suddenly Sheik's heart lept at the concept that it could be Dark at her door, with a stupid grin on his face, because he was late, and when she would open the door, she'd be greeted with "Sorry Sheik, I'm a smidge late... DONT HURT ME!" He'd exclaim when she put on her face of mock anger, which he hadn't learned to see through, and then she'd tackle him to the ground with hugs, and she approached the door with high hopes, and she opened the door...

And was greeted by a short girl, garbed in clothes not much unlike Link's. Sheik's heart sunk back into her gut, as she frowned. "Who are you? Zelda and Link's offspring? Have they been keeping you a secret?" She asked, noting the pale skin, smooth features, and water-like blue eyes and golden hair. She tilted her head. "Nooo..." and Sheik's face drooped more. "Then I really have no reason to be talking to you right now." She said, as she begun to close the door, but the little girl put her boot in the door, and began whining in a squeaky voice. "Waaait! I have something cooool to telll youuuuuuuu" She said, and Sheik rolled her eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure you're not the Otomi's child? You act like him, and it bothers me." Sheik said, reopening the door. The little girl smiled, and jumped around, which made Sheik scowl. "hurry before I close the door on your head." She said, and the little girl smiled. "Here, if you come with your friends, you might see Dark! I made him go!" She said, turning around, and skipping away, where Link and Zelda were both walking towards, and the litle girl went between the two, and the two stared at her. "Are you sure you didn't get pregnant...?" And then Zelda clapped a hand over his mouth, giggling nervously, and spoke through her teeth. "Sheik is right there, shut up." She said, elbowing him in the stomach for good measure.

The two walked up to Sheik. "Whats the envelope? ... Is that a sacred seal?" Zelda asked, looking at it. Sheik shrugged. "Sacred? I thought it was just a girl scout invitation, maybe the little kokiri needed more chaperones or something... Shoulda grabbed some cookies..." She muttered to herself, as she broke the seal, and opened it, and the letter within read: "You have been invited to the first annual Tournament of the Incarnations!" and after she finished reading it aloud, everything faded to white, and they were transported into a plush room that was well furnished, and over the entrance door, it read in ornate writing "Hyrule" and Sheik could hear a familiar voice screaming in agony about the blinding brightness...

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**Hahaha, CLIFFY! And Kishazi, if you're reading this, review, so I know you're alive! Hope you all enjoyed this, and tune in later for another chapter of Dance of Darkness!**


	14. The Beginning of the Eternal Tournament

Sheik looked around, towards that voice that she knew oh so well. She walked over to him, and so did Link and Zelda. "D-dark...?" Sheik asked. Dark removed his hands from his eyes, and looked up. "...Hello? Hey, I can't see, but I think I heard Sheik!" HE said, and she smiled. "Yes... I'm right here... but you havn't for a whole year longer than you said!" She roared in anger, stomping a foot down into Dark's stomach and chest, effectively breaking a few ribs. She also threw in some kicks to the face for good measure.

"Sheik... you realy should stop breaking bones... at this rate, there's going to be nothing left but powder, and I can't heal that..." She said, holding her hands over Dark, who was nearly unconscious and bleeding. "Oww... it hurt... but it felt so good..." He said, and Sheik was sitting in a corner facing away from Dark. She was obviously aggrivated at him. When he was able to, he stood up, and walked over to her, and threw his arms around her in bliss.

"I MISSED YOU!" He exclaimed, but when his arms made it across her shoulders, she promptly threw them off. "You made me wait so long, since my birthday, my fifteenth birthday... do you know how much it tore me apart, that you promised me to return when I was fifteen, and you never showed? I didn't sleep that entire day, I waited outside my door, in front of the house I built for us, waiting for you to return. I waited everyday after that, to go to bed every night at midnight, hoping that when I'd wake, you'd be in the house, or asleep next to me. So many days of shattered hopes really made me angry with you, Dark..." She said, and Dark looked heartbroken.

"But... I didn't mean to... so many things stopped me, almost killed me, and I kept pushing forward to get to you, and I finally made it to you, and I'm sorry I took so long, but it wasn't my fault... sorry for disappointing you... I understand if you're angry, and I'll leave you alone now..." He said, kissing her once on the back of her head while she sat facing away from him, and walked away from her, an intense look of pain on his face.

The only words anyone could get out of him were "I didn't mean to take so long..." and a distant look towards the floor as if he wished he could fade away back into the world from which he came, the realm of shadow, indifference, the realm of blankness. Mali looked unhappy, and Marac was leaning up against a wall, eyes closed, for he had given up consoling his young master with words of advice, because Dark simply didn't listen. Jackle looked unhappy as well, but said nothing, as he wrote in his book. Dyre looked back and forth between his childhood friend, and this love of his, Sheik, and wracked his brain for some way to help.

Anna walked up to Mali. "You're close to Dark, he must've told you a lot about his feelings about Sheik, and you've been tagging along with him through all his escapades, so why don't you lend a hand?" She said, and Mali gulped."It's a good idea, I just hope she doesn't kick me like a ball..." She said. Anna grinned. "Good luck, midget!" She said, and Mali frowned and waved her remark off.

"...Sheik... remember me? Mali?" Mali said to Sheik. Sheik nodded, as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold the tears in. "Y-yeah, I do, I told you to keep an eye on the otomi while he was away... thanks for keeping your part of the deal..." Sheik said, and she took off her hat which kept her long hair at bay, but she didn't give a shit right now, she wanted anything to cover her face.

"You know... Dark didn't lie. Every minute I was with him, and he was alone, he couldn't stop thinking about you, even though he was too shy to admit it. And I'm being honest... don't think I'm lying for his sake, he really got tied up in so many battles, and roadblocks..." Mali said, and Sheik rubbed her eyes furiously. "I don't care! He made me hurt for so long!" She silently exclaimed. "Yes, I know..." Mali said, giving her a little mini hug. "But he really didn't mean it, and he really loves you, I know it hurts, he hurt as much as you did when he was gone... just it seems he's better at hiding it than everyone gives him credit for... but it does leak out, and I've seen it. He really cares... and don't push him away for something he couldn't even control." She said, and Sheik nodded. "I guess... just... give me a minute..." She said, as she wiped her eyes.

"I'm... sorry..." Dark muttered to himself, and he heard a laugh from behind him as arms wrapped around him. "Don't worry about it... I guess it isn't your fault, you big dumbass." She said, and Dark stood up slowly, and looked deep into her eyes and held her close. "I'm still really sorry..." He said, after he buried his face into her neck. "It's alright..." She said, taking off his hat, and running her hand through the gray hair she had missed so much. "OW!" She exclaimed jumping back, rubbing her neck with a faint grin. "Sorry, couldn't help it." He said, and she grinned, kicking him sharply around his leg and on his ass. "Ow!" He exclaimed, playfully chasing her until she turned sharply and punched him in the face. "I loooove youuu." She said with a twisted grin.

The little girl who had originally beat the crap out of Dark bounded into the room. "Hello again, everyone!" She said, looking at Dark's group, and the other Hyrulian people's, varying from Gorons, Kokiri, Zora, other Sheikah, and even that crazy running man from the fields who wore that bunny hat. There were even a few strange looking people, who sat alone, and away from everyone. Apparantly, the Hyrule common room also held people from Terra, but the room name was after Hyrule, judging that it was the mountained off region of Terra were most magical gates were located, and where most evil began and ended, as well as the tales of legends and heros had began and ended.

"I'm here to have you choose your tickets to see where you get seeded in the tournament." She said, with a sweet smile. Now, she was wearing amazingly ornate and studry half plate, covering her chest, and chainmail underneath her tunic for added protection, and her skirt was embroidered with gold lining and on the breast of her breastplate, was a triforce, each a different color, one red one blue, one green, and the center of it, black. She now had a shortsword and shield, the shield eerily similar to Link's as well as the sword.

"...Uhm, why do you look like me?" Link asked, scratching his head. "Because, stupid, I am the incarnation of the Golden God who entrusted that Triforce to you, so, even though I don't even know who you are besides keeper of the Triforce of Courage, I seem to have the same strange style as you." She said, and looked Link up and down. "I look better than you do, so hah." She said, and Link growled. Zelda smacked him on the back of the head. "Just shut up, and draw." She said, and Link whimpered in silence.

Everyone from the common room drew their tickets, some getting numbers like twelve, and others as extreme as two thousand four hundred and eight. Dark got... one. "But of course. Who do I have to fight first?" He asked, and the small girl pointed to a large board, that was magically writing itself. "By the way, the name is Syrene." She said, and Dark shrugged. "Alrighty... so, like I said, who am I fighting first?" Syrene pointed at the board with a large stick. "Phoenix, the Black Priest, of Cyria." She said, and she laughed. "The first battle will be interesting..." She said, a crooked grin on her face. "Try and live through this battle so I can kill you myself." She said, cheerily skipping away. Dark twitched.


	15. Phoenix Rising?

Dark shrugged on some chainmail thrown at him by Sheik. "It's sheikan-forged, it doesn't break easy at all." She said, and Dark blinked. "Why were you carrying this on you?" He asked, and she shrugged. "I made it for you on your birthday when you turned fifteen, knowing you, always almost dying..." She said, and he nodded. "By the way..." He said, and she glanced his way. "Yes?" She asked, and he breathed in. "When did you become so dependant on me?" He asked, and she shrugged. "I don't know... it just happened after not having you for so long..." She said, and he nodded.

"Oh! That reminds me..." He said, taking out his necklace Sheik had given to him so long ago. "...Did you know the Lost God was embodying this necklace? And where did you get it?" He asked, and Sheik blinked a few time. "No, I had no idea about that... but... Zelda did tell me it was the Lost Triforce, the Triforce of Darkness... and she gave it to me, from the deepest sactuary of the Royal Treasury, before Ganon sacked it. If Ganon got a hold of THAT, he'd be unstoppable. Who knew a god was living in there... the Triforce itself has unimaginable untapped power in it, nevermind with its creator in it..." She said, and Dark scoffed.

"Too bad the creator is trying to eat my soul and take my body over." He said, and Sheik cringed. "I didn't intend that of that gift..." She said, but Dark cut her off. "Don't worry, I wouldn't change that happening, I think I'm the best one to keep a hold on this little trinket of trouble." He said, and she nodded. "I wonder if the necklace Julane gave me from when I was created has any powers..." He said.

"I don't know. Why don't you figure it out, like you do with everything else?" A voice said from behind, and there was Julane. "SISTER!" Dark exclaimed, ecstatic to see his sister after so many years away, arms outstretched. She walked towards him and swiftly punched him in the face. "What took you so long? And where's Reiche's horse, she's here too, looking for you." Sheik looked at Julane. "Who's... Reiche?" She asked, and Julane blinked. "One of Requaem's friends. And who are YOU?" She asked, circling her. Sheik blinked.

"She's an annoying twit." She said, bluntly, throwing off Julane. "And I'm ISHI'S girlfriend." She said, the use of Sheikah language disgusting Julane. Sheik linked her arm with Dark's and Dark looked at his angry sister, who's eyes were aflame. "Wait til Mom heres about this..." She said, twirling on her heel, and storming away.

"Oh god, this will be hell..." Dark said to himself, rolling his eyes. "Well, lucky you, you get to meet my family!" He said, as he began walking, and then, suddenly, a figure dropped from the ceiling onto Dark. "REQUAAAAAAEEEEEEEM! WHERES MY HORSE!" The gerudo yelled, somewhere between delight and anger. Sheik was dumbstruck. "Ishi, are you always being attacked by women?" And Dark was put into a submission hold as this was said. "Usually." He managed to pant out.

"Where's my horse!" The girl exclaimed, as she tightened her grip, and Sheik proceeded to smile and watch. "Did you...check the...STABLES!" Dark panted out, managing to get leverage on her chokehold, and launching her over his shoulder. "She sat up. "No, I didn't." She said, and chuckled.

Looking at Sheik, she began circling her. "Is this some Gerudo ritual, that I havn't heard about? Everyone's been doing it to me... will there be a bonfire soon, and tribal chanting?" She asked, and Dark laughed. Reiche chuckled as well. "No, just appraising ya. I assume you're Requaem's woman, huh?" She asked, and Sheik blinked, moving a shock of straight blonde hair from her eyes. "I wouldn't quite put it that way... you make it seem like he owns me. If anything, I own him." She said, and Dark chuckled nervously, at Sheik's domineering personality. "Yeah, she likes to be on top... makes her feel more powerful." Dark said, with a grin, and Sheik turned red and came around with a swift roundhouse kick to the side of his face, sending him spiraling to the floor.

"Ow... just speaking the truth..." He said, and then a loud voice crackled over the intercom. "Ok, ok! Everyone, Welcome to the very first... ETERNAL TOURNAMENT!" And at this, Sheik and Dark ran to the nearest exit, which everyone had exited through.

The audience... by far, was the largest they'd ever seen. Quite possibly, the only way to put it, was that there was at least a whole multiverse's inhabitants surrounding a large arena. Myriads of various creatures cheered, roared... and gurgled.

"And here's the the second of the two who are about to start the opening battle of the Eternal Tournament, a great accomplishment, which will most likely go down in history! He goes by the name of Dark, and hails from Hyrule, in Terra, also one of the four incarnations, exactly like Syrene, one of the five founders of this grand tournament! His opponent will be Phoenix, the Black Priest of Cyria!" The announcer said.

And standing in the ring like the annoying announcer said, already was a tall, dark and sullen looking figure, with pale skin, and eccentuated features, high cheekbones, and dark circles under his eyes. Clenched tightly to his side, was a black hefty book, and he wore a long robe, bound tightly around normal, yet tattered clothing. His forearms were wrapped in chains, and he spot Dark, tilted his head, and smiled in a way that made Dark tremble.


	16. Chaos' Uprising

Dark twitched, but quickly gained composure, and approached the arena. The fighting area... was huge. Dark unsheathed his blade and shield, and looked Phoenix up and down, and comcluded he was creepy. Too creepy for his own good. Being born of Shadows, he knew extreme horrors (some even he created) and was able to stoumach them. But this guy... there was something... off, something not right about him. Unnatural, even. Looking around though, he saw many people cheeringfor him, and some even waving "Go Dark" banners, and a few "Dark for President!" and "I love Dark!" being waved around by a few... desirable looking women. He grinned and then caught Sheik's glance and quickly turned his head back to Phoenix.

The invisible announcer piped up yet again. "Hey you two! The rules are; fight to the death, or concede defeat! The main rule, besides that, is that there are no rules! Give the crowd a good show, and commence the first round of the battle!" He said, and Dark looked around. Where the hell IS that announcer? He asked himself, and Phoenix laughed. "You... are an amusing specimen..." He said, opening his book, and looking through it. "Hmm... I think I'll give you an advantage..." He said, closing his book slowly. "...Since you're so inferior to me." He said, with a sneer. Dark looked at him funny.

"... Hah, you make me laugh. So, I think it'd be fitting to make you watch as I feed you your own entrails." He said, as a manic glow entered his eyes. "No, that won't do... not bloody enough..." He said, with a lopsided grin, and Phoenix smiled... in pleasure. "Ah, I like you. It seems you have a demon within you..." he said, as he tucked his book away, and held up his hand, to his side, around his chest, and it begun to glow. "Now, to give you an advantage..." He said, as his hand burst aflame, white flames licking the air. "...Since you are inferior to me."

"COME ON OUT, CHAOS!" Phoenix roared, as black and royal blue wings burst from his back and he dove at Dark, flying at high speeds, catching Dark unawares. "I can feel the dark presence of this embodiement of chaos inside of you... you began showing me as I taunted you... now... lets see what the real threat of you poses..." He whispered into Dark's ear, as he coughed up large amounts of blood, as it flowed freely from his mouth.

"What the hell's he doing!" Link exclaimed, from the stands up front he had with Sheik, and Zelda. "Well, he's forcibly ripping out what this Dark boy keeps hidden away." A man from the side said, and a man with chin length white hair, and amber-red eyes stated. He wore a long black jacket, and was wearing a black derby, with purple cloth around the brim. "Who are you?" Link asked, and he smiled, blissfully. "I wonder how many civilians will be killed... shall I partake? Oooh, how I miss killing peasants... I neeeed peasants to kill!" He said, beginning to jump in place, with a childish look on his face.

Link blinked. "What are you talking about?" He asked, and the man wrapped an arm around Link's shoulders. The scent of scotch hung heavily about his breath. "Tha massacre... y'know? Deaaaaath." He said, grinning at Link. "Save me..." he said trying to squiggle away form the crazed man. "Heyyy! Where you going? I just want a HUG!" He said, picking him up, and smashing his face into the railing, knocking him out. Sheik began laughing hysterically at this madman. "Helllllllloooo." He said, looking at Sheik blank-faced. "You're flat chested." He said, and she was incredibly offended. "What the hells your problem!" She said, lashing out at him, and he laughed, mid-hiccup.

As she threw a straight jab at him, he took off his hat, and twirled it. "Haaaat trick!" He said, tapping the brim, as her hand entered it, and her arm went into it up to her elbow, which physically, was impossible. Quickly, out of surprise, she retracted her... elbow. Her arm past her elbow had magically disappeared. "Uh-oh, misplace that? -hic- You know, you gotta keep those with you." He said, as he place his hat on her head. He then removed it, and he lifted it up, farther and farther as her arm appeared there, and began flailing around. "oh, looky! -hic- I found your arm!" He said, with a grin, as his amber-red eyes hung heavy.

"OH MY GODDESSES, ZELDA, HELP ME!" She said, as her ... misplaced arm began attacking her. "There is something horribly wrong about all of this..." She said, as she launched a volley of fireballs at him, seeking him out, and he did a twirl, caught one in his hat, caught another, and then, with a back-flip, caught the other. As he was about to stick his hand into his hat, to apparantly fire them back at her, two dozen guards ran down the aisle. "Oh, damn." And the man sobered up, quite quickly. "Enjoy the pain!" He said, as he jumped on the helm of one of the guards, and jumping into a portal opened by tossing his hat into the air, and it closed after he entered.

Dark had been struggling the entire time, against this... spirit hand fingering around in his soul. Reaching, plying, and searching around for something, the entire time, Dark struggled, and attempted to repel this force. "Don't resist.. you know how much you want Chaos to come out... you know how badly you desire to be him... you want to fade back into the darkness, and let go of your possessions, and kill like you once did." He said, and Dark groaned, and then Phoenix smiled. "There we go. Finally, got a hold on Chaos' soul. Now..." He said, ripping it out, and jumping back, as Dark's crimson eyes went black, and he fell face forward, jaw slack, his body limp.

"Uh..." The intangible announcer muttered, as the entire stadium went silent, at what seemed to be the fastest battle they had ever seen. "Winner by unnecessary force..." And Phoenix's smile fell off. "No. He's not done yet." He said, and the announcer went silent. "He's... dead. What are you talking about?" And Phoenix pointed to his body, which began giving off whisps of gray. Then, the entire body burst into gray flames, eventually taking the form of a body.

"Ahhh, how long I've been cooped up in there... first time in centuries that I've been able to actually stretch my legs..." A voice other than Dark's said. There he stood, though, Dark, but wearing different clothes. His tunic was a light gray color, enbroidered with a somber red color trailing from the sleeves and bottom trim to his chest, where the was a black upside-down triangle. On his back, was a large gruesome looking broadsword. jagged and rough looking, almost looking as if made of granite, but sharpened to a fearsome extent. He wore no hat, and red tattoos ran from his arms, up his neck and onto his face, and wore hefty gauntlets and wore grieves, of a light gray color.

"My power isn't anywhere near full... but it'll be more than enough to do away with you..." He said, with a smile, looking at his body. "Now... I do believe you are going to die." Chaos said, unsheathing his huge weapon and letting the tip of it drop to the ground, cracking the ground. "But, just to give you an advantage..." He said, taking a fighting position, holding the blade parralel to his eyes. "...Since you ARE inferior to me." He said, charging at him, at speeds far too fast for Dark's normal standards, dragging the blade along the stone arena, cutting through it as he went, slashing at Phoenix when in range, and He laughed and flung a hand out ward, a burst of light blinding the crowd.


	17. Black Healing

"Well, I admit, you have some degree of skill." He said, as his giant blade clashed with what seemed to be a barrier of light. "But, I know your strength is slipping... and this will push it over the edge." He said, with a twisted grin, as he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the force field repeatedly, as the field begna to falter, and Chao's laughter rang out, hard against the background. "C'mon now! Give me a taste of your blood!" He exclaimed, as an uncontrollable rage entered him, as he began flailing, and slashing at the barrier, becoming enveloped in black flames.

Syrene, Dyre and Jackle stood up in the highest rafters overlooking the arena at its best angle, the sounds of Chaos' blows ringing out like thunder. "Shouldn't we do something?" Dyre asked, and Syrene shook her head. "No, not yet. Not until things get out of hand." She said, looking at the people in the stands, who seemed to be enjoying the battle, out of sheer oblivion of what danger was in front of them. Most cheered on Dark, and a few were cheering on Phoenix.

That drunk man approached from behind the three Incarnations. "I warned the important people close to Dark." He said, incredibly composed sounding. "So, when does my payment come into play?" He asked, and Syrene sighed. "In time, in time Cyric." She said, waving him off. Cyric twitched.

Cyric walked up to her, and promptly lifted her off the ground by her hat. "Excuse me, I hope you realize I can drag you into the deepest hells and make you suffer tenfold the amount this world will if Dark doesn't overcome this challenge." He said with a twisted grin. "I have no remorse killing small children." He said. "So don't treat me like one of your little minions." He said, and he began laughing. "Trust me, you have no idea what you'll yourself into if you insult me like that, not even turning ot talk to me." He said, and she looked terrified, as she stared into his endless-looking eyes his canine teeth prominent over the others.

"Sorry! Sorry!" She said, struggling to get down. Cyric dropped her. "If it wasnt for the only leverage you had against me, you'd be wishing I did kill you. Don't hold that arrogance with me, Im only playing lackey because you have something I want." He said, and she gulped. "Sorry, again... no hard feelings?" She asked, and he smiled. "Of course not! I mean, you are almost like a daughter to me, you little munchkin!" He said, with a chuckle, walking away. Jackle looked at him as he left. "...He scares me..." He said simply and the other two nodded.

Eventually, Chaos broke through the barrier. Phoenix looked incredibly fatigued, and he actually looked... older. Like he aged a handful of years in the process of holding up that barrier. Chaos laughed hysterically, as he bit into his own lip, drawing blood, which he licked up. "I really want to taste your blood... I can almost taste it, really.. I can smell it... rising to the surface as I cut into you..." He said, inhaling, as if in ecstasy. "And in this form of yours... you're fatigued... you can't keep up." He said, as his bit lip dripped blood down his chin, as his eyes were alight with fire and dancing wildly.

Link was blinking, as he watched Dark. "Who is that? Dark?" He asked, nibbling on popcorn. Sheik walloped him quickly. "You blacked out after the drunk smashed your face into the railing, huh, otomi?" She asked, and he nodded. "Yep!" He said cheerfully, and Sheik sighed, slamming his face into the railing of the stand they were in, effectively knocking him out again. She stood there, and slowly, picked up his popcorn and began eating it. "Hey! What the hell? Why'd you knock out Dark! And why's he... blond?" A females voice said from behind, and Anna was standing there, poking Link.

"That's Dark's counterpart, the stupider Hero of Time, Link." Sheik said, watching Dark as he fought. Zelda looked terrified though. "Shouldn't we be stopping Chaos?" And Sheik laughed. "Now, look at him, Blondie... do you think we can stop him like that?" She asked, and Zelda glared at her. "What, do you have something witty to say, o-mighty-princess-of-the-world-that-wasnt-saved-by-your-manwhore?" Sheik said without looking away, and Anna laughed. "Link's your man whore?" She asked, and Zelda glared at her. "Shut up." She said, beginning to pout. Anna laughed. "Ill trade you my manwhore for yours." She said, thrusting Kirei in front of Zelda, and Zelda blinked a few times.

"For the five hundredth time, IM AM NOT YOUR MANWHORE!" he exclaimed, and she giggled. "He is, he's just shy." Anna said, and Zelda actually looked him up and down. "Actually... I do like this man better than Link... this one's more... rugged. I like it..." She said with a devilish smile, and Sheik spit out her popcorn. "Oh god."

Chaos rushed at Phoenix, and Phoenix outstretched a hand, and caught Chaos around the neck and his hand began glowing red. "Ahhh..." Phoenix said as he threw him back and smiled. He still looked old, but he now had a ball of energy in his left hand. "Now... let me show you what a Black Priest is..." He said, looking at Chaos with a grin, as he held his hand out behind him, and it launched a blast of white, and there wre pained screams of anguish from behind him, and when the flash cleared, a huge portion of the auidence was dead. Not just dead, but there was nothing left of them, besides charred skeletons. Now, Phoenix had deep blue tattooes running all over his body, and he was floating on deep crimson wings, and his face had regained its youthful radiance, and his clothes had become ebony, and his entire body was wrapped in chains.

Chaos looked to where the audience had been slaughtered in admiration, and he realized something that caused Dark to surface; that section was were Sheik was.


	18. Nocturne's Hero Returns

"You sonuvabitch!" Dark roared, as he hefted the blade up, and his eyes flared, and the huge blade began to morph and the red tattoes color changed from red to white, and the blade warped and distorted, and became a long one sided blade, and he charged Phoenix.

"What? What's going on! I finally had control!" Chaos yelled out, and Dark overpowered him. "SHUT UP, YOU LET THIS HAPPEN, YOU PITIFUL WASTE OF A GOD!" Dark roared after Chaos had finished his sentence, and the pearl he wore, began glowing white. it resonated a pure white brillaince, as it slowly warped his clothing, as the upside down triangle emblazoned on his chest became white, and his tunic was replaced with a sleeveless robe, buttoned at the middle, his chainmail covering his sleeves and falling past his waist.

"If you ever want something done, you gotta do it yourself..." He said, as he charged at Phoenix, who was completely caught off by this sudden burst of power. He began jumping back and forth, while chanting incantations. "Please, stop the silly mumblings." Dark said, as his usual insane grin appeared on his face, and he jumped at Phoenix with surprising speed and thrust his one-sided blade into his mouth.

It made contact, and Phoenix stood there, shocked, gurgling, in severe pain. "Hee. Not so fast, are ya?" He said, as he jumped further more, driving the blade through the back of his mouth and out the backside of his head. Suddenly, Phoenix's dying body smiled, and then, his face slowly charred, as Phoenix reached up and grabbed the blade, and wrenched it from his mouth, as his body completely changed from it's post-death pale, to a gray-ish color of ash, as his skin actually began flaking off, his eyes becoming embers, as his whole body lost its composure and fell to the ground in a pile of ashes.

"Hahaha!" Dark said, keeling over in what seemed to be normal laughter. "The silly fig turned to ash!" He said, unable to breath, as he kicked the pile of ash. "Auto-cremation? What is this?" He said, laughing still. "What, didn't want to pay for funeral expenses?" Dark said, making jokes. "...Not really..." A voice said from behind him. Dark wheeled around, straight into Phoenix's hand, which clenched around Dark's throat.

"Ack..." Dark said, as Phoenix lifted him off his feet. "Shiiit..." Dark said, unable to breathe. It wasn't even the grip... there was something else... it seemed to be drawing the very breathes of life he took, and he felt his energy slipping... as everything around him faded into nothing but a white fog. "This, is your fate, Darkling... condemnation to fade back into darkness... the eternal nothingness..." Phoenix said to him, as Dark's eyes rolled about lazily. "Shieeek..." Dark whispered, looking to the section where she was. He let his grip loosen. "At least... I'll be with her now..." He said with a defiant grin, which angered Phoenix. "Death isn't supposed to be funny, you moron!" He said, and Dark laughed again... as a small voice began whispering in the back of his head. "...don't..." It began.

"Don't...?" Dark asked himself. He regained his grasp on his own life, just to make out what these familiar sounding words were. "...don't... die on me... Dark..." And Dark's eyes watered. "BUt.. death will reunite..." He began, and Phoenix became furious. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! DEATH IS DEATH, NOTHING MORE!" And Dark looked to the stands to his left, where Shiek once stood. She was there! Yelling, yelling out to Dark, and he realized those words were coming from her, and she was alive, and Dark felt a sudden burst from within him, as something else took hold of him.

Phoenix began twitching, as some unknown energy began flourishing out from within Dark. He was absorbing so much energy, and there was still no resistance, and Dark hung there, with the most blase look on his face, as if nothing was happening. "You know... you said Death wasn't funny. I think I have a sense of humor." He said, with a gentle grin, as a seren look entered his eyes, and Looking closer, he noticed Dark had suddenly grown long hair, and that it was almost silken looking. "Funny." And Dark smiled. "Exactly my point."

Shiek smiled to herself. "For some reason, men with long hair are hot." She said with a grin. Elsewhere, Zelda and Kirei had snuck off. "Oye, mujer bonita! Where's el capitan?" A short man asked. "Uh... what?" and the man grinned. "Heh, ella es bonita Y fácil!... erm... I mean, where's mi captain?" The short spaniard said, quiver on belt, bow over shoulder. "Uh, that pirate dude who came here with the crazy girl?" And he nodded quickly. "Ellos probablemente lo hacen." Shiek said, throwing the short spaniard off. "Habla espanol? Arrenpentido..." He said, and Shiek shrugged. "Don't worry about it... just go make sure your captain doesn't deflower the princess... if the otomi sleeping with a broken nose hasn't already..." She said to herself, and the crow's nest member of the Quest shot off in search of Kirei.

Dark sat there, staring at Phoenix. "Had your fill yet? Death has no limit on power..." He said with a vague smirk. Phoenix was now practically pulsating with the energy he had aquired. "SHUT UP!" He said, throwing him clear across the arena, and in mid-air, Dark simply backflipped, landed on his feet.

Dark wore a long black robe now, and a black halo floated simply over his head. "You can't keep your form, can you?" Phoenix asked, and Dark shrugged. "Not my fault... it just seems I'm a nothing more than a catalyst of two vying powers." He said. "But thinking about it, you have been evading death for some time... I do believe your little game of cat and mouse with me is at an end." He said, as he twirled his hand, and a large scythe appeared in it. "I am Death's Apprentice, and as my first act, I shall give your highly desired soul to Grimm." He said, with a smile. Phoenix looked fazed now, specially at the scythe. The blade was a light purple, and the blade jutted off of the staff, from the inside of a grinning skull's mouth, which topped the scythe.

Dark jumped at him, riding on what seemed to be the air, pulling back the scythe, and slashing at Phoenix, who threw a ball of pure energy at him. It struck him and he barely twitched. "You know, the prominent amount of your energy is the energy you took from me." Dark said, as he came down, slashing his scythe in a huge arc. "Speaking of which..." Dark said with a smile, extending a hand, which began glowing the same color of Phoenix's pulsations. "...I can control you." He said, as he made Phoenix dance. "Heh... and you said Death has no humor." He said, as he made Phoenix do cartwheels, and the crowds erupted into laughter.

"Well, it seems that this incredibly odd battle has become a puppet show!" The invisible announcer said. "Hmm, while we enjoy this peaceful section of amusing battle, let's evaluate the two fighters!" The announcer said. "Well, Dark, has transformed about three times! He seems to be by far, the most unstable human being in the entire universe! Each time he transforms, it's not even within his control, each one triggered by different events. One, triggered by anger, hatred and an unquenchable thirst for blood, another, triggered by love, and a third, triggered by mortal peril!" He said, pausing. "Not only that, each seem to vary in fighting style, weapon, and even personality!" The announcer stated. "The three different forms may even hold special powers, such as this one, with it's marionette like control of his opponent." He said.

"No, about Phoenix. It seems he's an Eternal of some sort, and the only thing I've ever heard about his style of fighting, is the way of the Phoenix, in which you fuse your soul with a Phoenix's in a very painful process. The only downfall, is as you see, you have to feed off of poor innocents life force to prevent yourself from aging into dust! Not only that, eventually, Death will end up sending an apprentice to take your soul, since when you die, you merely turn to ash, and materialize elsewhere, your soul eluding Death." He said, and everyone was listening intently to the sagely disembodied voice known only as the "Announcer."

"Well, this is boring." Dark said, after making Phoenix run about 15 laps at high speed around the Arena. "You must be EXAUSTED. Why not take a niiiiice long nap?" Dark said, as he reliquished control of Phoenix. Phoenix panted. "Nap my ass, you just want... me... to... die." And Dark shrugged. "Same difference, you know. It's like a long peaceful rest, very restful, and you get to see everyone you've ever cared about." He said, and Phoenix looked angry. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE!" He roared, and charged at Dark. "Sad sad man..." He said, evading a blazing swipe of glowing claws conjured by Phoenix, and ramming the but of his scythe into his side.

"...Poor pitiful man, trying to become immortal to evade his lonely past, present and future... everyone dies... you should've learned that as a child. You should've learned... everyone dies... and to appreciate the time you're granted... and make the best of everything." He said, and Phoenix spit at him. "Best of what? I was never given anything to cherish. Life was as cruel to me as death will be, so why die? It's a pointless cruelty to me, life being death itself to me. I just wanted another chance to right my fucked life!" Phoenix sputtered, and Dark stood over the shell of a man.

"...as much sympathy as I have for that, knowing the pain you've suffered, you have two choices, surrender now, or I will kill you, and surrender your soul to the afterlife." He said, and Phoenix looked shocked, and then his eyes became subdued, as the glow faded from him, his clothes returning to normal, wings turned to ash, and carried on the wind. "...I... concede." He said, walking off the arena. Dark smiled. "Straighten up, and fly right, wayward bird." Dark said, and Phoenix flipped him off as a leaving gesture, and remark to that comment. Dark laughed, and suddenly, he returned to his normal form. "Woah... head rush... who won?" He asked, stumbling around. "Why am I so dizzy?" He said, stumbling around, giggling as he tryed to grab onto something, as he dropped his sword and shield, as he begun to fell forward, and something green caught him.

"LINK, I TOLD YOU, I DONT LIKE YOU THAT WAY, SO STOP TOUCHING ME! I LOVE SHIEK, NOT FAIRY BOYS!" He yelled, finishing it off with a giggle. Link frowned. "Shut up, I told you that was a joke! Aaaaand, just let me help you, I mean, my match is up next, so I was already getting ready to get in the arena, I was closer to you than Shiek." Link said, and Dark laughed. "Hahah! Link using logic! This must be an alternate universe!" Dark said, and Link smacked him sharply. "No, while I was a little kid, Zelda put me through the "No Child Left Behind" program and learned stuff I didn't know as an adult, like reading, and using forks..." And Dark punched him in the knee, being so close to the ground from lack of energy. "Fag!" Dark exclaimed in his drunken stupor from exaustion. Link dropped Dark in pain, and Dark got up, grabbed his weapons, and scrambled from the arena, running into walls as he went. The reason why he ran, stood in the doorway of the common room, connected to the entrance of the Arena... Shiek.

Link sighed, as he stood in the arena, awaiting his battle. "Aaaaand, it's another Hylian! It seems he's the counterpart of Dark. I wonder if that means his power will be crap compared to Dark's, along with his performance!" "CRAM IT!" Link yelled, and the announcer laughed. "Ah, let's watch the fairy boy clad in green fail miserably, shall we? His opponent is from the Prisons of Nocturne, fighting for his freedom!" He said, as a white haired youth wearing a headband over his eyes walked onto the stage, shackled, and being lead by lizardmen.

"Rue?" Link said, and the Lizardmen unshackled him, in which Rue drove an elbow into one of their faces for good measure, and the other one dragged the unconscious reptile off the arena quickly. "Yeah, it's me. Remember? You left me in that damn prison?" He said, taking a martial arts position. "It's nice to be out in the light... but in order to stay out here, I have to kill you." Rue said, and Link blinked.

"You're going to kill me? Even after all that shit we went through in that hellish prison?" And Rue grinned and nodded. "Hell, you're the one who left me behind... who was the first one to slide underneath that stone slab? You were, you cowards." Rue said, and the announcer beamed. "This will be an interesting battle! Rue, from the Prison of Nocturne, against Link, Hero of Time!" The announcer said, as a lizardman threw Rue his old sword he had used in Nocturne, where he had successfully fought off hundreds of lizardmen... and survived. Now, he fought for freedom like he did before.. so he could see one single person.

**Just to fill in some confusion: Have you ever wondered what Link did after Ganon was killed by Dark? Take a look at Nocturne's Light, an early work of mine that I turned into a prelude to Dance of Darkness, for Link. Thats where Link met Rue, and there you can learn about Rue, and what Link went through while Dark was off on his adventure. Take a look! Review it, and tell me what you think!**


	19. A Fierce Deity Appears

"On guard, Link." Rue said, diving at him, with a single slim long sword, no armor. "I won't fight you!" Link exclaimed, jumping away and blocking another hit. "Then, do me a favor..." He said, as he snuck his blade by Link's shielding and cut the leather strap that Link held onto to keep up the shield.

"Drop your shield and die." He said as he slashed at him again, and with a wicked smile on his face, he jumped up and hit Link in the side of the face with a spinning roundhouse kick. "I've spent too much time in there, I need to see Cera, no matter the cost. I'm sure you'd understand." Rue said, with a smile.

Link scowled. "Unfortunately, I can't die, either." And Rue jumped back, and frowned. "Aww, not even for me? The guy who saved your ass in the first place? To be honest, I'd slit both your and Thris' if it got me out of there, with Cera. I was protecting HER, not YOU." He said, and Link rolled his eyes. "You just don't like being a hero ruining your dark image." He said, and Rue slapped Link.

"Don't call me a hero, you stooge." Rue said, and Link looked at him, reproachfully. "You SLAPPED me! Like some petty corner whore!" He said, and Rue nodded. "Sounds about right. Description fits you more than that skirt of yours." Rue said, and the announcer muffled laughter. "SHUT UP!" Link yelled, pointing his sword wherever he thought the voice was coming from. Rue slapped him again. "Keep your eyes on your opponent, idiot." He said, and Link growled. "I hate you." He said, and Rue smiled. "Good, then kill me, fight me, or die." He said, as he lunged at Link again.

Dark was spinning. Or, thats how it felt. "I have SUCH a hangover... I have to lay off the bottle..." He said, with a giggle. Sheik had lifted him from the ground, and was carrying him over her shoulder, and was leading him to the common room, and threw him down on the couch. "Go to sleep, ok Ishi?" She asked, and Dark nodded, but extended both arms out to Sheik with a childish smile on his face. "What... a hug?" Sheik asked, confused, and Dark shook his head. "Nooo... cuddle!" He said, and Sheik sighed. "...But we're in public..." She said, looking around to see if anyone was around to witness this.

"B-b-b-but... I wanna cuddle!" Dark said with a giggle. Sheik blushed, and tried to be angry. "No!" And Dark stuck out his bottom lip, and began whining like a poor wounded dog. "Argh, why must I find this strangely cute?" She said, as she failed to resist, and laid down next to Dark on the couch, and Dark wrapped his arms around her, and sighed in a childish way. I don't think he EVER grew up, thought Sheik, but she didn't mind though.

Rue sighed. "Come on, I think I'll just beat you into submission. That way, you don't have to die." He said, and Link smiled. "See! Sparing my life! Heroism!" And Rue drove a knee into Link's gut. "I AM NOT A HERO!" He exclaimed, and kicked him over and over in the stomach, eventually lifting him off the ground with the kicks and suspending them with the kicks, and eventually finished him off with a roundhouse sending Link flying.

"There. He lost. Give me my next match." Rue said, and Link climbed back in. "I'm not done! And why do you hold to your word with those Lizard men?" Link asked, and he laughed, while coughing up blood. "You have morals, and you tend to stand by them." Link said with a laugh. Rue was angry. Who was he to say what I was? How would he know if I COULDNT disobey? Rue thought, grinding his teeth as his temper grew.

"Link, I have a virus in me right now." Rue said, and Link blinked. "Huh?" And Rue nodded. "Yeah, of course I'd get a 'Huh?' out of Link... I'm DYING right now, as we speak." Rue said, and he looked to the sky, although blindfolded. "They could never kill me." Rue said, laughing to the sky, in indignation. "They put a key on me, that I couldn't use, but everyone else could. The holder... got a ticket out." He said. "They would disallow me use of safe houses in the prison, and then unleash the most vile monsters into the prison, just to watch me die, in the most horrible way possible, for that attack on the King of Lizards. " Rue said, as he sheathed his sword to tell Link the story.

"This happened every day." Rue said, and with a cold laugh he added, "Cera never cut him deep enough. She was an inexperienced fighter... and scared to end someone's life, no matter how bad they were. Her knife faltered, and she didn't cut his throat correctly. So all those lizard men, still terrified of their King, have been trying desperately to kill me." He said, and grinned the way only a maniac could. "And so, they tried to kill me." He said, and laughed coldly. "They couldn't kill me, they never could, and they never will. I refuse to die in that shit hole." he said, and then he pointed to where Serene was watching with Jackle, and Dyre.

"That little bitch... only wants me to do the same thing as those lizards. To die, die fighting, and to watch... for amusement. That's what all this is..." He said, holding out his arms around him. "All of this is just a game... A GAME TO WATCH PEOPLE DIE!" he roared at the crowd, in fury. "She made a bargain. Being the incarnation of the goddess of nature... she developed a virus. A virus she could activate at any time. It's dormant now... and if I lose, I die, but if I lose, but live... she makes me die. She'll activate this god-awful virus... and... it'll cause all my organs to dissolve at a disgustingly fast rate... into nothing but some sick putty." He said with a scowl.

"But, if I win the entire tournament, I'm free, for good. That was her half of the bargain. The King... thought it was a good idea... I mean... what are the odds of me winning it all? And I have to win by unnecessary force... I can't win simply by you saying 'I give.' I have to kill you, or make it so that you can't even continue fighting." He said, and he laughed. "And I can't leave too. That makes me die, instantly." Rue said, and Link looked down, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I see... so it's a fight to the death, huh?" And Rue nodded. "Sorry." He said, and Link shrugged. "It's quite fine." Link said, raising his Master Blade. It was a duel of blades, no quarter, and no shields.

Rue lunged at Link, and the two clashed. "Kill me. Don't spare me. Death is more welcoming than this virus in me." he said, as he broke the clash, throwing out more swings. "It's affecting me right now... because it can't be sustained without at least killing me a little bit." He said, blood dripping from his mouth. "It's working on my lungs, right now. Doesn't it make you sick? The concept of being forced to die because you merely want to live?" Rue said, as he found an opening as he sliced Link's left arm. Link winced, and jumped back.

"Would you really like to die then?" Link asked, somberly. Rue nodded. "If you can kill me here and now, then I won't be able to survive the rest of this damned tournament. I wonder how many other fools Serene has locked into this battle by their throats. I'd call this the Tournament of Tragedies, not the Eternal Tournament." He said, and Link nodded. "I kept this in the Royal Treasuries... because it's dangerous. And shouldn't be used... but I keep it with me at times, and I had the oddest feeling that when I went to Sheiks house the day before, I should bring it... and my intuition paid off. Rest in peace, Rue." he said, pulling a mask from his pocket.

"Fierce deity... awaken." Link muttered, donning an almost demonic looking tribal mask, and Link roared in agony, as he reared back, and erupted into blue flame, and when the flames faded... Link stood transformed, and for the first time in his life, Rue was truly afraid.


	20. The Flaw of Rue and a Betrayal

**Call the King, sound the trumpets! I have returned, due to my assbackwards nature of coming out of hibernation when most go into it. XD Well, I got bored of not writing, so I'm gonna kick out a few chapters. Enjoy!

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_Last Time..._

Rue had faced down his own mortality, which he had been evading for years, to just get a glimpse of his love, and to be with her outside of those cold shadowy walls that he had been confined in for such a time. Now, he was facing a Diety, the incarnation of all of Link's power. All because of Serene.

Serene, although the Incarnation of the Goddess of Courage... was not in the least honorable. She had her hand in just about every troubled tale that had brought itself into her tournament... and even a few that she had birthed, by twisting her fingers around the strings of every fighter's weakness and playing them like puppets... who knows what she could do with this stranglehold she had...

Rue dodged another blazing sword of divine energy. Gasping, his blindfolded eyes darted from side to side, looking for a chance, and before he had the chance to analyze his situation, a disc of divine energy was sent flying his way, as he somersaulted out of the way. Rue was getting desperate. "What left can I do?!" He exclaimed to himself, as he decided to chance it, by running in close. He had been dodging the wolf by darting left and right like a hare caught in it's deathtrap, but he would tire out soon.

"Stop struggling, Hero." The Diety rumbled, and Rue growled. "I told you, I'm NO hero!" He yelled, charging straight for his death. "Hahaha..." The Fierce Diety rumbled, as he let loose a fierce uppercut that sent a wave of azure energy at Rue.

Suddenly, everything slowed down. His death was coming. Rue hadn't expected him to have down something like this, and he was moving to fast to sidestep. It was over... just before the wave collided with Rue, he let down the shield around his heart... the cold barrier he had erected to keep out every dark and bitter thought from piercing it, and making him just like every other monster that was thrown into that prison, but it mattered not, what he became anymore, he was to die. Let the darkness flow over, bask in death, and enjoy the sweet blissful release...

The whole plane of existence shook in that collision of powers, as the wave of ultimate energy rent a deep hole in the arena, and ripped deep into Rue's immortal soul, laying him low, and bleeding on the floor a few yards from Link. Link held his blade at his side, his sense of duty accomplished. His pupiless eyes watered. Rue was a good soul, he had no right to die... and in a show of respect, he went to take off his hat, to salute him, as a true hero.

But his hat wasn't there...

"Linky... are you looking for this?" A strange voice said from behind him, coming from the bleachers. The Fierce Deity spun around, and there sat a man who resembled Rue, his blindfold off, and around his neck, twirling Link's cap on his finger, smiling an insane smirk. His eyes had become topaz, the surrounding eye black, his expression that of a being unlike Rue. Instead of rags, he wore a long black sleeveless robe, with no shirt underneath, and a pair of white pants, bound with bandages from the knee down.

"State your name." Link ordered. "Aw, forgot me already? You just ripped my outer shell apart, see it lying on the floor over there, bleeding dishonored blood?" he said, and Link blinked. "Although I bear his appearance, and I am him, I am not. I am the darkness, the impurities that burned into his soul and mind... but never made it to his heart. I am every imperfection of his personality, that wormed my way into him through the darkness of the Prison of Nocturne. I am his Flaw, and his superior fighter. And I will cut your throat the way Rue over there dreamed of doing, that day he found you, and sheltered you in the Prison." He said, laughing hysterically, holding out his hands, as two flat staffs of ivory appeared in his hand, the end curved visciously, the middle consisting of a gem that anchored the two parts of one staff.

"AHAHAHA!" he yelled, as he dashed at him and disappeared, reappearing in front of Link, and driving a fist into his stomach, his two staffs floating behind him, twirling in a clock-like fashion. "Hello there, LINK!" he said, as he drove a knee into his stomach, adding enough momentum to lift him off the ground by a few inces.

"Did that HURT?!" He yelled, as he backflipped, and did a handspring, driving both of his boots into Link, sending him flying into the air. "ENOUGH!" Link roared, as he reached about three feet in the air, a pair of silver wings appearing in his outburst. "Come, you die NOW!" He yelled, thrusting his fist at the ground, as a ball of energy appeared in his hand, as it shot out twenty arrows of arcing energy towards Rue's alter-ego, Flaw.

Laughing like a madman, Flaw began twirling his ebony staffs, as the arrows collided with his weapons, kicking up a mist of white. Still, the laughter rang out. Flaw was standing at the bottom of the now deeper crater, his skin scorched, and bleeding. "Ahh, good! You can injure me... bring me more pain!" He yelled, jumping onto his staff, as it began spinning at ridiculous speeds, as he flew towards Link in strange patterns, swinging his spare staff madly.

Link took his huge blade with two hands, and pulled apart, as in a burst of energy, the greatsword broke into two bastard swords, one turquoise, the other white. Link began parrying his swipes, and he couldn't take this insanity for much longer, his inner magic was draining at an incredible rate, he had trained to gain these abilities, unlike Dark, who stumbled upon them, and couldn't control them whatsoever. Although he could control them all, he had never used them all at once like this. In the midst of his thoughts, his defenses were broken, and he now had a large gash in his stomach.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Link yelled, as a beam of energy shot from his mouth and shot Flaw off his spinning top of sorts, and the shot went clean through him, leaving no hole, but leaving a scorch and intense pain. As the staffs clammered to the arena below, Flaw did a somersault and landed on his feet. "Ow..." He said, panting heavily, as Link, from above, began laughing. His form was flitting between his human form, and his incarnation of power. "I'll end this now..." He said, as he delved within his tunic, and retrieved a bottle of sparkling liquid... of a white hue. Flaw blinked. "Milk?" He asked himself, blinking his topaz eyes. Link tossed his head back, and chugged the milk.

Zelda in the bleachers was sitting there, and she had just realized what he had began drinking. "Chateau Romani?!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands against her face, and Malon was a seat behind her. "What?! How did he get his hands on that?! That was my experimental brand of milk!" She exclaimed, and Zelda grimmaced. Link must've done some dimension and time hopping to get his hands on that rare and expensive elixir... it would fully heal him... and break the barrier between his soul and inner magic, funneling the unlimited power of one's soul to their inner magic. Giving them infinite magical power.

Link was surrounded by an aura of white, and his wings burst forth, again, this time, a halo of pure white radiance, and a wreath of thorns adorned his white hair. "Now... there is no limits to my power... and you WILL meet your end." Link rumbled in a renewed voice of power, shaking even the dark heart of Flaw.

_Elsewhere..._

Sheik held Dark Link, who had fallen asleep on her lap. Mali, was spying from a dark corner, that she had become shadow with, watching with contempt. There was something in her eyes that wasn't there now... and her face was blank, and her eyes placid... nothing showing, unlike when she met her, when her eyes were filled with passion. There was something dark and insidious about her... and she didn't like it, and wanted to get Dark away from her as soon as possible.

"You kept me waiting so long..." She said, stroking his hair gently, her words sounding... almost violent. Dark began to awake, and Sheik looked into his eyes. "...It hurt so much, Dark." And he looked at her, confused, and groggy. "What, sweethear-" But his sentence was interupted by a yell of agony as Sheik had laid a hand on him, and he began pulsating violently with light, and he had a seisure after the light had faded, his eyes wide open as he stopped breathing.

"Take him." She said, lifting him by the back of his collar, and throwing him towards an opening door. "Thank you... I'll make sure he's properly... dealt with, dear." A familiar voice to Mali said, as Jackle walked into the room. "With the most recent info collected, thanks to the deal struck with Serene, and now the deal with you... I have the info AND the specimen... and you'll never have to deal with him ever again, Sheik." Jackle said, and Sheik looked at him reproachfully, almost regretful of her choice, but firm in choosing it. "Just get out of my face..." She said, and Mali had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from shrieking.

Mali had one thought flowing through her head; I have to save Dark. She had no idea what she was getting herself into though...

_To be continued..._


	21. The Return of Evil

**I just recently got incredibly into writing again, so please, keep my inspiration flaring, and leave reviews, because you'll probably get even higher caliber writing if you do! Enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it!**

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Flaw stared at the now pulsating warrior above him, as he wiped some soot off of him. "This may become a complication..." He said simply, as he adjusted his footing on the little arena he had left. Flaw then looked to the lifeless corpse on the ground nearby. "Well, as much as I hate to play hero, I'm going to have to kill you, and use your apparantly valuable soul, to resurrect my weaker half. I mean, although being a being of light... he stood strong enough to resist me for so long. I think he can become powerful enough with my help... I'll give him another chance." Flaw said, as he looked up at Fierce Deity, who was listening. "You're not one to attack an unready foe, eh? So honorable. Then, please, allow me..." He said, stomping his foot.

"HYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" He roared out, throwing his head back, as such a roar was never heard by any of the onlookers. As he entered a manic fit of yells and roars, ghostly lions of white swilring about, joining in the chorus. Around Flaw erupted a swirling misty white ether, a tainted white, impure, flaring about him like an inferno.

Fierce Deity was thrown back by the blast of energy. His pupiless eyes shot open wide. "What is this power?!" He asked himself frantically as he grasped his swords handles and charged Flaw. "DIE!" As he yelled out, bringing his weapons down on Flaw, but a ghost of two lions jumped between them, and clenched their jaws onto the blades, and growled, as a third white lion jumped over the two, and flew through and into Fierce Deity, and there was a burst of white light from his chest, as the lion disappeared into him, and threw him back.

Fierce Deity began panting. He had to attack him, before he finished whatever the hell he was charging up... but those lions ... they were eerie. "Fine. We'll play dirty..." He said, as he fished around in his pocket, and withdrew an eerie mask. "I'll end this quickly. Although it seems like the Fierce Deity is my final form... I have a more powerful one. Like Dark said, we mirror one another, and gain and learn things to reflect each other... I have a dark form... as he has one too. This one... borders with his form of Chaos." He said, and he raised the mask.

"I took this from the Royal Treasury, as well, for safekeeping... because I didn't think the Happy Mask Salesman could hold onto it well enough after he was waylaid by a normal Skull Kid, nevermind a real bandit." He said, raising the fearsome looking mask to his face. "Majora's True Incarnation." He said, yelling out, as if he was in indescribable pain. A whirling torrent of energy of shrieking souls matching the intensity of Flaw's. Flaw continued to expel energy, as the two charged up their final attacks.

_Elsewhere..._

Jackle was poking and prodding Dark's body. "Good... he's not dead. I thought for a second he was dead." And Sheik glared at him. "No, I wouldn't. And if you do, you'll be joining him soon afterwards." Sheik said. "What's it matter? Not still attached to your little pet, are you?" A new voice said, from the room over. "No, sweetheart. I just went through quite a bit to get him all the way over here, and I'd rather not have my work pissed away so quickly." Sheik said, catching herself quickly.

The new person smiled. "That's what I like to hear, baby." The man said, wrapping his arms around Sheik's waist. He had short pulled back silver hair, with olive eyes, and an ever present smirk on his tan chiseled face. He then kissed her.

"Y..you... bastard... I'll kill you... for that... I'll... kill..." Dark muttered, after briefly regaining consciousness. Such a will and love he had for Sheik, that he pulled himself out from the dark ether of his conscious, induced by powerful white magic, that he refused to believe the betrayal, and even blamed the man for what he had seen. "Poor pitiful you. Look, clinging onto life, just to prove your eyes wrong." The man said, lifting Dark's head up by under his chin. Dark's eyes were rolling, and heavy, and was drenched in sweat, putting an incredulous amount of effort into not passing out. "Poor moron. You took so long to claim the rose of love... that you let it wither... and lucky, I kept it alive... but not for you, fool. Sleep." he said, backhanding him sharply, knocking Dark's will out of him, sending him back into sleep. Sheik kept her cheek turned to this, not wanting to see.

Jackle nodded. "Well, I held up my half of the deal. You were so desperate to rid yourself of him, that you were willing to part with..." He said, smiling sweetly, hand outstretched. "Say no more." Sheik said, throwing him a small trinket. "Ah, this'll help me tap deeper into my powers of wisdom..." He said, looking at the trinket, a small blue shell, with a triangle inscribed into it. He then placed it around his neck, and snapped. "Adieu." He said, waving simply, and tipping his hat, as he broke down, with Dark held by the collar, into small particles of blue light, and was swept away by the wind.

Within Dark's mind, all he could think of, was revenge. Chaos was worming its way into his heart, and Dark was accepting it. All that floated in the dark ether of his mind was what he had last seen...

_Whoever he is... I will a curse of a thousand years of darkness be on his soul... for the seeds of betrayal he hath sown into the heart of my love... I have suffered over two lifetimes of torment and suffering and heartache to see her... for him to have stolen her._

_I will forget this not._

_Suffering and pain will come unto him, and then I will return to the sands from which I was bred, and regret nothing... _

_...and forget the life I dreamt of..._

"Jackle..." A voice said, as Dark's ears picked up, as his consciousness returned, but his sight blurred. The other man's voice sounded... so... familiar. "But you have done well... You have gathered a compendium of info, data and knowledge on this creation of darkness, and what lives within him, and even brought us the specimen. You've been invaluable to me. You deserve more than just this book of withered black magics..." The male's voice said. "No, the book is more than enough. I take my leave of you." Jackle's voice said, almost in disgust. "You... Jackle... I'll kill you... as well... as all the others..." Dark said, his head lowered, as he realized he was suspended by chains from the ceiling.

"Such a day... of... bloodshed will come." Dark muttered, laughing hysterically. "YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Dark began to repeat, laughing coarse laughs manically. Jackle stopped at the doorway of the black room he stood at, and looked towards the floor clenching the book. "Forgive me..." He said, fading away into soft blue light, his voice lingering, filled with regrets.

A man approached him, wearing a long black robe, which he let down, once Jackle had left. It was ... Ganon?! Dark's eyes shot open in a panic. "You're my meal ticket back to power, my creation."


	22. The Transfer of Power

**Enjoy yet another chapter from moi! I'm sure you'll enjoy it greatly!**

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THUD. Another large fist was driven into Dark's stomach yet again. "I'm going to beat you senseless, WORM!" Ganon roared, driving another fist into his gut. Even without his triforce, he was still indescribably physically strong. Dark coughed up more blood. His shirt had been removed, and emblazoned on his bare chest was a large black upside down triangle, a pearl of black hanging from his neck.

Ganon cracked his neck. "I'll teach you to disobey your MASTER!" he yelled, clenching his hand around Dark's throat, and squeezing the life out of him. "S-s-st...s-stop-p..." Dark sputtered, and Ganon let go, as Dark began panting for dear life, and Ganon spit a disgusting wad of mucus that only he could muster up onto Dark's face.

Ganon circled him. "I'll beat every bit of pride outta you, darkling. You've become quite a bit of an upstart lately. I hear the Goddesses chatting up a storm about you all the time, trying to plan a contingency if they miscalculated, and hiding the God of Chaos in you. And my dear friend Jackle ... has been working under the cover of an amazing spell that virtually renders him invisible to the Eyes of the Goddesses. It took them using their favorite pawn, Serene, to keep an eye on him, but even then, it didn't work... because here you are... and right where they never though you'd be. In my castle of a prison, about to be gut of your inner demon, and taken by me." Ganon said, laughing roughly.

"You're a fool... you'll be consumed by Chaos... like you were... by power." Dark panted, his right eye swollen and bleeding, and various cuts scattered over his face, bruises forming. Ganon growled at him, and backhanded him. "You're in NO position to be speaking, maggot." He spat. Dark lowered his head, his hat missing, and his hair askew, and crusted with blood as well. "You assume I was consumed by the power I had... no, it was the lust that consumed me. You could never understand." And Dark laughed.

"You had me locked in a room filled with water and a dead tree for nearly twenty years. Can you relate?" He said, and Ganon's eyes filled with anger. "SILENCE!" he roared, slamming a knee into his chest, effectively snapping a few ribs. "I can control power... I can control what you hold within you. I can relieve you of the pain it's brought you, remove it from you, if you will it to me. I'd release you from here, and you'd become my second in command. And you could take vengeance on everyone who'd wronged you. Sound nice? You'd kill two birds with one stone. I mean, you've been parading about Terra for how long, trying to rid yourself of Chaos? Three years, to no avail, whatsoever. I could use that power... to become Chaos. You could have the tri-force of power, for all I care. I just need Chaos' power to break free from this dark world prison I've been imprisoned in, and enslave all of Terra, and spread my suffering to others." Ganon said, laughing.

"So, what say you? Join, or die? Either way, I'm still getting your power, figuring that Jackle's provided me with enough info, insight and even the specimen to experiment on to remove that God from you, if you refuse to give it up." He said. Dark looked up, and grinned at him. "Well, you know what? I might as well..." And Ganon smiled. "Yes??" He asked, impatiently.

"I might as well bury you as deep in the ground as that Jackle bastard for doing this to me." Dark finished, with a defiant grin, as Ganon let loose a fierce jab to his face, that smashed his nose. "Fair enough, I'll prepare the instruments of experiment. Expect it to hurt fiercely." He said, sweetly.

Dark sighed. "Why... me? Of all people... why not the postman or something, be burdened with all this...?" And he sighed, as pain surged through every inch of his body. Suddenly, a small girl stepped out from the dark, first as black mist, but then took form. "Mali?" Dark asked. Tears were running down her face as she looked up at her hero. "You... didn't see all that did you...?" He asked, and she nodded, and Dark felt an incredible pang of sympathy for the small girl. "I-i-i-i'm here to help you, Orei Ishi." She said, using dark powers to hover up to where his arms were shackled, and cut the chains with sparks of darkness. Dark dropped to the ground with a thump, and groaned. Mali began whimpering. "I'm sorry, Orei!! I forgot he had broken your left leg!" She said, crying even more. Dark groaned. "It's fine... but I can't move all too much..." And when he had finished talking, she had wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Mali... that's sweet... but I'm probably heavier and you're too small to carry me." He said, with a warm smile. At the very least... he still had one faithful friend. Mali sniffled. "I...forsake immortality. In return, Gods of Shadow, give me humanity!" And suddenly, in a slowly growing dark light, she became about five feet, and looked about Dark's age. "Mali, you didn't need to do that! Now you'll die just like anyone else, from sickness and age... you didn't have to do that for me..." He said, and she lifted him up, with a sniffle.

She wore more or less the same outfit as he, but now, instead of looking like a seven year old... she was more... developed, as Dark pervertedly noticed. Her blond hair fell below her shoulders, and her crimson eyes were brighter than usual, from her crying. "It's nothing, really... who wants to live forever? I still have my powers... which I'm gonna use to get you outta here, Orei." She said, and Dark nodded. "What's Orei mean, anyways?" He asked, and Mali blushed. "...Nothing at all." She said, and Dark nodded. "I was planning the escape the whole time I followed Jackle's magic trail. I know the fastest route out of here, but when I was elf, I couldn't turn both of us into Shadow Mist and escape without taxing my magic to the point where I'd die. Now, with the better proportions, I can make it out of here with you, and out of this Mansion that the Goddesses imprisoned Ganon." Mali said, as Dark nodded. "I ... see." He said, feeling safe within her arms, and fading into exhaustion.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe, no matter what." She said, and just as she was turning herself and Dark into Shadow Mist, Ganon turned the corner. "What have we here?! A stowaway trying to make off with my specimen?!" He yelled, backhanding her across the room, and looked to the shocked Dark. "SHIT!" And Ganon, in a fit of rage, raised his fist.

"NO ONE WILL STOP ME FROM ACHIEVING MY DREAMS!" He yelled, and on his hand, were tattoos of chains around where the Tri-Force was was, but was sealed by the goddesses. Suddenly, the Tri-Force shone through the chains, and his fist erupted in golden energy. "GIVE ME YOUR POWER!" he yelled, driving his fist into his chest, and his hand delved into his chest, where the upside down triangle glowed gold, and faded away. Ganon began laughing hysterically. "YOU'RE ALL AS GOOD AS DEAD!" He laughed, as Mali got back up, and dove at Ganon, managing to knock his ethereal hand from within Dark's chest, and gathered up Dark. _"Gods of Darkness, deem me wings!" _She exclaimed in a dark tongue that was unlike Sheikah, yet Dark understood. Suddenly, black wings wrapped around him, and that was the last thing as he felt the darkness wrapped it's cold fingers around his soul, and he felt it leaving his body...

"_He's died twice. Fate will not allow another resurrection." _

Grimm?

"_Allowing him to die will cause all of Terra to fall out of equilibrium."_

...A woman...? Are they talking about me? She sounds so calm, so soothing...

"_That's not in my jurisdiction, whether he lives or not now. He's Fate's territory now, you three take it up with him now. It's the rule, I can only revive anyone, only extraordinary situations, twice before Fate takes control of that soul. Fate rules how everything goes, and he's been having trouble controlling Terra mainly because of you three, because of your chosen warriors that blaze their own fates, and it's because of them these problems arise."_

Three...? Who's Grimm talking to...?

"_It'll begin with Terra, and if this gets more out of hand because of all your stuffy-ass rules, it'll spread to all the dimensions!" _

She's a different woman... she reminds me of a Gerudo woman... such attitude...

"_Who's fault is that? Yours, I recall, for you three fool's had opened all the dimensions so you could get Jackle into your little pawn's sight. And even then, he still escaped your eyes. And you opened the gate for Ganon to wreak havoc with Chaos' powers. He's smarter than all of you, and even stupider for doing all that for a book of old magic to revive his daughter. She won't live with Ganon running amuck with all that power." _

Jackle... sold me out for his daughter...?

"_Either way, he can't be allowed to die. He's one of Terra's few chances to survive. Within him, I'm sure of, is the spirit to tame and retake what was taken from him."_

This one... as odd as it sounds... reminds me of Link, that optimistic moron...

"_Fine. I'll explain to Fate for you Goddesses. You owe me big time, like you don't even comprehend."_

Suddenly, Dark felt warmth return to his body, and he was somewhere dark. "Uh... where am I?" Dark asked as he felt around. "Well, it seems to be, that I'm in a box." He said, bluntly, very confused. "Oh shit. I'm in a fucking COFFIN!" He said, as he began pushing on the the lid of the coffin. "Noooo, I can't die AGAIN!!!"


	23. Can't Keep a Good Man Down

**Another update for today! Longer than the previous, and more peaceful, a small interlude from the main plot. The action continues sometime after this chapter... but for now, enjoy this break from the action!**

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"You inconsiderate bitch! How could you do such a thing to someone you loved so much?! Tell me Sheik, why?! Why did you sell him out?! Now Ganon has Chaos, and who knows when, but he'll break free, and kill everyone!" Mali yelled. Sheik sat alone in a room with her, and wasn't even looking at Mali. "HE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU NOW! The people who really cared about him, BURIED him, while you were out doing what, banging your new piece of ass, because you couldn't wait for Dark while he was going through hell, trying to reunite with you!" And Sheik looked at her. Tears were running down Mali's face.

"You love him, don't you?" Sheik said, and Mali blinked. "Don't remind me, you murderer." She retorted. Sheik walked towards her. "What would you have done, if in my position? To fall in love, with a monster, who left you alone, waiting for so long? I waited and waited, til I couldn't take it any more." And Mali looked angry. "I would've waited. I've lived longer than any Sheikah, in that damned forest, with our kind dwindling out, and becoming humans to not die out. I've been in love. I waited twenty four years for him, to find out he was dead. Then ten years later, I run into you, and I was pulled into something I didn't want any part in, and I fell in love but kept it to myself, for when I got him back to you. But you betrayed him, and then had him KILLED!" And Sheik backhanded her.

"Get out of my face, before I do worse to you. I don't want to have to deal with you anymore. I don't want to remember my mistakes anymore." She said, and Link leaped out from a corner. "Ok, that was uncalled for Sheik, I swear to the Goddesses, hit another one of my friends..." and he was cut off by Sheik. "And what? What will you do to me? Kill me?" She asked, with sarcasm dripping from her words.

"...You killed someone who was like a brother to me. I would enjoy nothing more than to soak my boots in your blood, but because of Zelda, you'll be living longer than you ought to, so be grateful." He said, and Sheik laughed. "Hah. Does she really have you that whipped under the threat of taking sex away from you?" And suddenly, a boot was driven into her jaw. Link looked pissed beyond reason, and Sheik was on the other side of the couch, on the floor. He lifted her by her throat. "I am at WITS end with you, you cunt. You killed Dark, and insulted my fiance. One more trip up, and I'll make sure you watch your boyfriend die, and I will slam your worthless skull into the dirt with the heel of my boot ." He said. Sheik laughed. "Getting violent, are we?"

"Yes he is, and he should calm down." A voice from near the door said. Rue had entered, with Zelda. Rue had his arm in a sling, and looked tired. Link dropped her. "Your mother never taught you it's wrong to hit women?" Rue said, and Link scowled at him. "My mother never taught me shit, I was raised by a large fucking tree, and shut up already, I'm not in the mood." he said, and Mali rubbed her tears away. The room was quiet, Link sitting on the floor, looking at the ceiling while Rue sat on a counter in the Hyrule common room they were in, arms folded. Mali was sniffling, and muttering to herself.

"Well, to break this silence... your match with Link was amazing Rue." And Rue nodded. "Link, I think I should've broke that damned mask of yours when I had the chance. It was so... fucking creepy. He said, shaking his head. Link laughed. "Speaking of which, Zel, take them." He said, throwing them to her, and she caught them in her arms, and snapped, as they disappeared in a flash of light. "Well, to be honest, if it wasn't for Flaw using that technique, you'd still be dead. I never would've thought that all that energy was just going to be used like a funnel... clever of him. I was pouring out so much energy, that Flaw just decided to take so much of it, to knock me out of my Majora form, and resurrect you from death." And Rue nodded. "It sure as hell surprised me..." and the Cera walked in, with Malon, both panting heavily. "Guys! We saw something incredibly weird, and I don't think it's possible." Cera said. Rue stood up. "Oh? Like what?" He asked, and Malon was panting.

"Me and Cera were walking around the fields around the fields... and we went to visit Dark's grave, plant flowers, pretty it up, and suddenly, Dark burst out of the ground, shrieking; "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE A THIRD TIME!!!" and then started tearing after us, covered in dirt, and he chased us for a good mile or two. Link laughed and shook his head. "Sounds like him..." and Mali almost perked up, and her left pointed ear twitched. She hopped up, and bound out the door, as Dyre walked in with Kirei and Anna.

"What's up with her?" Dyre asked, and Link shrugged. "Should we go keep an eye on her?" He asked, and Zelda nodded. "Please, she's traumatized over Dark's death. We don't need her doing anything overly stupid..." She said, and Zelda walked towards Sheik, who everyone tried to pretend didn't exist. They were all rather pissed at her, Link and Dyre the most, because they were the closest with him.

Elsewhere...

Serene shook her head, in her own private quarters. "What wrong with you, wee one?" Cyric asked , from his place sitting on a chair in the corner, twirling his hat. Serene rubbed her temple. "being the most experienced and dependable of the Incarnations, I've been placed here as the proxy of the Goddesses to do their bidding when they can't push their influence here. See, the Sacred Realm has a lot of regulations and rules, so nothing is upset with the Balance. Now, this recent fuck up, thanks to Dark's moron ex, has given Ganon all that he needs to break free from the roomy prison they gave him. I mean, you think being given a prison with everything you could ever wish for that doesn't involve death and world conquest, you wouldn't leave, right?!" She said, and Cyric laughed. "You'd think, at the very least." he said, and she slammed her head onto the desk she sat at.

"So, know, I'm stuck with this damage report; Ganon fused with Chaos dwelling in his soul, with the Tri-Force of time, a renegade incarnation, and the one the Goddesses thought would stop this all is dead. And we have the culprit of this entire mess in the Hyrule commons." She said, and Cyric continued to spin his hat. "What exactly are we gonna do then? I've still got that proverbial knife of your at my throat, so what can I do for you?" He asked, and she sighed. "No clue. But since we have all the visitors rooming here, since it's the safest place, considering it's got a vast amount of skilled warriors in it, we've also had to call off this tournament. All because of that DAMN Sheikah!" She exclaimed, slamming her fist into the table.

"Hm, such a lot of turmoil was created because of one girl... want me to kill her?" He asked, and Serene shook her head. "No, she may serve a purpose one day. Everyone deserves a second chance... I was given one myself." And Cyric nodded, interested. "Do tell." And she shook her head. "Some other time, if you trade me one of your tales." And Cyric grinned. "Ah, I'm not really in the clear to do such a thing. I'm not really even supposed to be on this plane of existence, as you have already been told. But you little cunning child, have caught me on that, and have compromised me into a very uncomfortable situation and for my trouble you've located what I was here for." He said, reminding himself of how he was pretty much forced into labor.

Serene smiled. "Well, also, you could play security and make sure nothing bad happens, alright?" And Cyric nodded. "Simple enough." And he put on his hat, in which he was promptly sucked into his hat, and his hat then popped out of existence as well. "Such a strange person..." She said, shaking her head.

Out in the Field...

"Damn bitches ran from me!" Dark said, panting heavily. "All I wanted to do was just to ask them where the hell I was... and they run screaming... I mean, Malon knew who I was... maybe the were there when they buried me..." Dark said, heading back over to his gravestone. "That's so eerie. Seeing my name, date of birth and death, and flowers and such, and the hole where I burrowed out of... weird..." He said, sitting down on the ground. "You'd think that after dying like three times, that they'd expect me to come back if I did die..." He said, resting his head on his chin. "They got me down exactly right though, buried with my sword and shield. But this tuxedo thing... not diggin' it." He said, and noticed a dot on the horizon speeding towards him.

"Uhm..." Dark said, as he squinted to see who it was. "OTOMI OREI ISHI!" Was yelled at the top of the figures lungs, and Dark immediately knew who it was; Mali. Suddenly, he was tackled by her, as she approached, and she hugged him, crying onto him. "I missed you too." He said, with a laugh hugging her back. She then kissed him on the cheek multiple times. "Don't scare me like that, Ishi!" And Dark pushed her off. "Mali... could you... give me time though?" He asked, abashed at her open show of emotions.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ishi..." She said, lowering her head. "No, no, it's fine... just you're going to quick. I still hurt. Mentally, and physically. I mean, I had a fist in my chest." He said, with a laugh. She laughed softly. "Everyone's angry at Sheik." And Dark frowned. "That's no good. Just because she sent me to my death doesn't mean she's evil... well... she must've had a reason for it... I hope..." He said, the last phrase trailing off quietly.

Back at the Common Room...

Zelda sat Sheik down in a quiet room. Sheik was quiet for a while, and Zelda merely looked at her. Sheik glanced at her. Zelda was incredibly stubborn, and would literally wait there for her to talk first. "You don't hate me too, do you?" And Zelda shook her head. Sheik blinked. "Is this some sort of trap?" And Zelda shook her head. "I just want you to talk to me. That's it... I've known you through my Guardian since I was a child, and I've never seen you like this... it unsettles me, and I'm not letting you leave until you talk to me." She said, waving her hand at the door as it glowed a pearly gold color.

Sheik sighed. "Was what I did so bad...?" She asked Zelda. Zelda looked at her blankly. "Well, I refuse to give you my opinion on that... but looking at it logically... you sold out the one who fought through his own inner demons, throughout half of Terra, the Shadow Realm, Mercenaries, and even the grip of Ganon, all for you. Do you think that was right or wrong?" She asked plainly.

Sheik looked away from her. "I hate how everyone thinks I intended to kill the otomi... I never did. I just wanted to get him away from me, and Jackle proposed a way to do that for a while... He hurt me Zel, he really did. I just wanted to make sure I loved him, because I felt it slipping, and if he never stopped pursuing me, I'd end up hating him because he'd interfere with what I'd do!" She said, and Zelda nodded. "I understand, Sheik... and you were with someone new that me and Link didn't even know about, apparently during the last year... how did it turn out?" She asked, and Sheik sighed.

"...Don't make me say it Zel..." She said, and Zelda looked at her hardly. "You have to admit it to yourself, what I know, and what you know... before someone takes away you very last chance to make everything up. Don't let your Dance get away from you..." And Sheik looked at Zelda with a quick look, and looked towards the floor. "Me and Beron, the Sheik everyone keeps picking on me for dating... was a complete and utter failure... I felt nothing for him whatsoever... and while I was trying to convince myself I didn't love Dark anymore, the more I loved him and the more it drove me insane." She said. Zelda took her hand. "Don't fight it, it's pointless. I fought my love for the green idiot out there, but it didn't work in the slightest. And now I'm engaged to the fool." She said with a blissful smile. Sheik laughed, and Zelda smiled. "Go chase him down, soon, before Mali gets a hold of him and takes him from you." She said, and Sheik looked at her funny. "But... Dark's dead because of me..." and Zelda smiled. "Not exactly. He has a very strange tendency to come back from the grave constantly. I can sense him... Mali could too... you should go get him before she does, and takes him from you forever." She said, and Sheik stood up and removed her face wrap, and let her long hair fall from her hat. "You're right... thanks, Zel." She said, making for the exit.

Sheik flew out of the room, golden hair flowing in the air behind her as she rushed out, her smooth serious pale face hell bent on righting what she had wronged. As she rushed out to the fields, she saw Dark and Mali sitting at his grave, and her heart fluttered at the fact that he was alive... but soon, it dropped, as she saw at a distance that he was kissing Mali deeply... like he had once for her. She steeled her heart, and refused that to crush her spirits... after all, she had done far worse to him already.

Dark finished kissing her, and he blinked. "That..." And Sheik braced herself for the outcome she was fearing... "...didn't really feel right...I'm sorry..." He said, and Mali smiled, and nodded. "It's ok... can I still be your familiar?" She said, and Dark laughed. "Sure, just you can't sit on my shoulder anymore." And she nodded. "Sure I can!" She said, snapping her fingers, as she became the size of an elf again. "I forsake my immortality so I could become human but that doesn't mean I can't retain my old form... I just gained a new one!" She said, childishly.

"Ishiiiii...?" Sheik said, holding her hands at her waist in her skin tight Sheikah outfit, with her hair framing her crimson eyes, blowing in the wind, and Dark sat dazzled. Mali looked at the two. "Um...I'll be leaving now." She said, and Dark nodded. "Thanks..." He said, eyes still locked on his beautiful Sheik. She then ran off back towards the Arena grounds.

Sheik sat besides Dark, and Dark looked away. "So... why did you sell me out?" He asked, and Sheik leaned her head onto his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his. "I'm sorry..." She said, and Dark pulled away. "You sent me off to my death... and made a lot of problems for me." Dark said, refusing to turn to her face. "I went through hell and back, over oceans, and through life and death for you... and you cast me aside for your little boyfriend who went and hit me when I was down... and gave Ganon Chaos." He said, and Sheik was too ashamed to speak.

"And you know what?" He asked, and Sheik sighed. "What, Ishi?" She said, and he turned to her with a smile. "It was all worth it to see you again." He said with a smile, and a long overdue kiss, and after the kiss, she clocked him hard in the stomach. "Never make me think you're angry at me like that again, ok?" She said, and he nodded. "Well... Chaos is gone from within me... know what that means?" and Sheik shook her head slowly, confused. "I'll have no problem being with you full-time now... I just need to kill Ganon..." and Dark paused. "...and then we can get hitched."


	24. Control & Jackle's Reasoning

**A nice long chapter, for you guys! Hope you enjoy it, if there's even anyone still reading. If you are, please, review, or something. I know you guys are there, I see the hits meter going up constantly...**

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A golden wisp stood in front of Serene, and she stared at it intently. "Oh? Really? That's good... then I supposed the tournament will go on, in that case." She said, to the wisp, apparently the golden mist being a sentient being. "So that's a Sacred Servant." A voice from behind Serene said, and she whriled around, a large ornate bow appearing in her hands, knocked and pulled back.

"Oh, Cyric..." She said with a sigh, as her bow disintegrated into nothingness. "What brings you here? Any important business?" She said, and he nodded. "Yes, we have a special grudge match challenge from a very special warrior." He said with a grin, taking off his hat, and spinning it upside down on his fingertip. Serene raised her eyebrow. "Oh...?" She said, and he nodded. "Yes... Come in, warrior." He said, and the door opened up, and there stood Dark, outfitted in a chest plate emblazoned with and upside down red triangle, and his blade and new shield slung over his shoulder.

Serene's eyes lit up. "You ARE alive! Then Grimm did pull through for us!" And she let out a shriek of joy, and leapt higher than thought for such a small girl. Dark raised his eyebrow. "You know about all that?" And she nodded, with a grand smile. "Of course, I'm the proxy of the Goddesses here, being the most responsible Incarnation. Who knows... maybe you'll become one, as well, if you manage to subdue Chaos from within Ganon, and take him back." She said, and Dark blinked.

"Wait, what?" He said, and Serene looked at him blankly. "What, you didn't know?" She said, and Dark shook his head. "What, I HAVE to take back Chaos' soul?!" He exclaimed, and Serene nodded. "Well, yes, the soul of Chaos has become active, it needs a host now, figuring it has no body, and if it's left out of a body, it will expel the infinite amounts of energy a soul of a God can give off, effectively destroying probably this entire Plane of Existence and probably a bunch of others." She said, and Dark's jaw dropped. "See, the Goddesses figured you were their best bet for keeping that relic safe... they didn't even plan on it activating... but apparently, your pain and suffering was so powerful, it awoke Chaos... and became part of you. Even less did the Goddesses expect that Chaos would be stolen from you, by Ganon, of all people!" She said, with a laugh.

"But I don't worry whatsoever! You sealed him away last time, I'm sure you can do it again, specially with all this new power you've acquired. I mean, really, you're seething with untapped potential you don't even understand. Your power resonates from sheer improbability, emotion, and near death situations. Even with Chaos... I'm sure you'll truly defeat Ganon this time, and reclaim what's yours." She said, and Dark frowned. "Fine... I'll deal with the botch-ups the Goddesses keep making and pick up the slack... but I need this match taken care of. It's merely a grudge match, for bragging rights... and satisfaction. A tag team challenge." He said, retrieving from his pockets, pamphlets of info.

"Here I am..." He said, showing her his fighter's card. It showed his highlight in life, which was the defeat of Ganon, depicting him dealing the finishing blow to Ganon before, and a bio, as well as showing his statistics. "Here's my team-mate..." He said, showing her another paper, which bore Sheik's picture, hers was of giving Dark the black Tri-Force pendant, as well as the standards of what was written on every pamphlet. "And here's who we wish to challenge." He said, showing her a picture of ... Beron. "He can pick anyone who wants to fight alongside him." He said, and Serene began looking at the stat sheets. "For you... I'll allow this match. It'll happen directly before the next match, which is in a day. The reason for the wait, is because we need to repair the arena, and make preparations." She said, and Dark nodded. "Fair enough." He said, and then he headed back to the commons room.

Marac stood there, waiting for him, at the door. Dark looked at him, pissed. "Where have you been all this time, dumbass?!" Dark said, and Marac smiled. "I've been lurking behind the scenes... watching everything. Including that jackal, Jackle." He said, and Dark's ears perked. "Really now. What exactly do you have on him?" He asked, and Marac smiled. "Quite a bit of info. But..." And Dark was already in his face, lifting him off the ground by the collar. "Where is the two-timing bastard, tell me NOW." He said, and Marac smiled, as a mist entered Marac's eyes, and Dark felt his limbs losing feeling, and he dropped the King of Mercenaries.

"I can't tell you, until I train you. To take him on. Even under the Mercenaries Code of Honor, when you owe someone your life, you can't let them walk blindly into situations they'll lose. And, by the very same code, if you're able to teach them to defeat that situation that they'd once lose in, that they have to face, it's the same as saving their life, and frees me from my bond. What say you? Let me train you, so you can face down Jackle?" And Dark scoffed.

"I've beaten you before, what can you teach me?" He asked, and Marac's eyes filled with the white mist that had paralyzed Dark and forced him to release him before. Suddenly, the world around them became a torrent of mist, and from within Marac burst violent surges of mist and they became that of a mighty wyrm, and after gaining strength it reared it's head at Dark, who felt paralyzed, again. Then, it dove at him, cutting through the mist, and it stopped directly in front of Dark's face, and roared warm steam into his face, and then, dove through him...

But as harmless steam. "I can teach you control. Within you, although Chaos isn't present, he has left marks of his power. If I can teach you how to control the marks Grimm and Chaos had left, you can grow more powerful than you imagine." Marac said, and Dark nodded, shaken from the display of power from Marac. Apparently, he had grown in power during the short time away. "As much as you won't like to hear this..." Marac said, circling Dark, "Thanks to Zelda... and her immense knowledge, Link is far powerful than you. Because of his own inner understand of what resides in him, and what triggers it, he, during your time away to tame Chaos within you, Link has been educated, and trained." He said, and Dark scowled.

"Don't be angry, Dark. You're weaker than them, for a reason. Your power is far more wild, and untamed. Ganon had no idea of what he had brought into the world when he shaped you. An empty existence must be filled with fate, as the first rule of the God of Fate goes. And Fate decided to fill you with a very dull one... the very same one that Ganon had written for you. But... when the Goddesses saw into your mind, and saw the potential of what could grow if a shadow was given life... they made you a Fateless. They knew if they gave you a chance... although evil at first... would become one of the mightiest defenders of the world you never had a chance to know. Since your fate was was broken before Fate decided your limits... you were given a boundless amount of potential. Link... has that same infinite boundary... but his is more restricted, because although he's a Fateless... his potential was decided far before his fate was broken. Yours... being infinite, and unrestricted... had to be sealed by the Goddesses to keep devastation at bay. Hence why it's so hard to control, and so powerful. I'll teach you how to reach through that barrier they erected." He said, and Dark blinked.

"How the FUCK do you know all this?!" He exclaimed, and Marac smiled. "They don't call me the King just because I'm a good fighter. I'm well learned. That, and the Goddesses came to me a while ago, made me a Fateless, and asked me to teach you what I knew. Hence how I became so powerful, over such a short time." he said with a small grin. Dark sighed. "There's no point in beating a dead horse, so let's cut to the chase. Train me." He said, and Marac laughed a deep warm laugh. "Aye, I'll teach ya." He said, as his accent came back in.

_Elsewhere..._

Jackle rushed through the fields, flying a few inches above the ground. "Faren... I'm coming..." He said to himself, the tome he had acquired in his hands. As he flew, a large black figure appeared before him, and stopped his flight as he grasped his hand around his throat. "Betrayer." The figured growled. "Ah, a Deepest Reach Minion." he said, as he was slammed into the ground. "Only a Class Three?" He said, with a smile, as his eyes lit up with white energy and suddenly, a blast of light shot from his eyes, eviscerating the minion.

"I've dealt with Class Twenty-Threes... why the sudden shortage in power? Is Grimm weakening because of me? Such a hassle I've been for Terra recently..." He said, eyes becoming somber. He then looked to his book. "...I've misused my power for such a selfish reason... Naryu, have forgiveness on my soul..." He said, as he continued to rush through the fields. As he flew, he came to a azure portal. Jackle landed effortlessly, and sighed. "Soon, my effort will come to blossom... and then I'll be able to repent for my sins..." he said, a look of joy finally entering his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a blaring flash of blue light, and Jackle staggered backwards, blinded momentarily. "What in the name..." And suddenly, his breath was taken away. Before him, stood a nymph of true beauty, hair of azure, flowing like water in the unseen wind, placid turquoise eyes shining from fair skin, her long navy dress differing from dark navy to sky blue at the bottom, where it concealed her feet. _"Jackle, my son." _She said, and Jackle stepped back, putting away his new book and retrieving another, and snapped it open quickly.

"Stay back! STAY BACK!" Jackle said, And Naryu stepped towards him. "I told you, stay BACK!" He yelled, and Naryu smiled simply. _"You've been such a problem with us... you've given a great evil an even greater power. Are you ready to repent, fallen son?" _She said, in an angelic voice. Jackle's eyes widened in a panic. "NO! I can't, NOT NOW! I have a life I need to save, I refuse to repent, NOT YET!" He yelled, chanting arcane language. Naryu laughed beautifully.

"_Your power stems from mine... you can't hope to defeat me." _She said, as Jackle sent fierce bolts of black lightning at her, which she daftly deflected with a graceful sweep of her hand. "NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" He yelled, as he continued to throw bolt after bolt, and the clouds opened up, raining down tempests of flame, which she merely dispelled with another graceful sweep of her hand. He then threw down his book. "Why do I have to repent!? Do you even understand what lays on the other side of that portal?!" He yelled, tears welling in his eyes, and Naryu paused. Something she didn't know... was rare to a Goddess of Knowledge.

"_No... that portal... was sealed by a powerful magic... that was linked to you... as long as you lived, the portal could not be accessed, I learned." _She said, and Jackle's voice faltered. "I was cursed... when I visited another realm..." Jackle said, looking away. "I was... a horrible person. I abused my power, in another plane of existence... and posed as you... I wanted to be looked up to as a being of repute like you. I wanted to be noticed. For so long, I was lonely. No family, no friends... just... the power of knowledge..." He said, and Naryu blinked.

"_Why didn't I learn of this?" _She said, and Jackle smiled wistfully. "One of the first things I learned with my power, was that I was being watched, constantly. I immediately found a way to throw my distinct power trace somewhere where I wasn't... subconsciously moving it, and making it seem realistic... while I was elsewhere. Elsewhere, meeting that one person..." He said, as Naryu approached him. He immediately took a step back. "Please... stay away until I finish my story... then judge me." He said, with a sigh. She nodded. "While I posed as you... I met a girl... she saw right through me..." He said with a soft chuckle. "Never met a normal human being like her before... she had absolutely no power whatsoever... no magical ability, no swords skill. Just... pure intuition and charm. She snared my heart immediately. I disappeared from that realm, with her... and showed her exactly what the world had to offer... and she was captivated by the world... by me. One thing led to another, we got married, had a child. Faren. She's in there." And Naryu was shocked. _"My... granddaughter...?" _She asked, and Jackle nodded.

"A real god of that plane cursed me... after reviewing what I had done. Killed my wife... and placed my daughter in a deep sleep only the eldest of black magic could awaken... hence my need for Ganon... hence my placing and convenient meeting with Dark... all twisted for my own needs... to bring her out of that sleep... I just want the one last thing in my life to at least see her own life fulfilled... even if it'll cost me mine in the process, as a price for what I had done, for all the evil I may have had done to bring her back... Just please... if you have any bit of a heart... let me revive her... and then kill me." He said, and Naryu nodded, stepping aside.

"_I will judge your actions while Faren awakes..." _She said, and Jackle stepped within. Within, there was a world, entirely filled with clouds, devoid of floor, a sun hanging lazily overhead. Floating in the center of this wall-less void, was a small girl, of seven years of age, with long golden-brown hair, wearing a long plain white nightgown.

Jackle opened up his book, to a blank page, and he withdrew a knife from a sheath on his pants, and made a long incision on his forearm, and dribbled the blood all over the book page, and the blood became the writing, clotting, and becoming dark distorted ink, which formed dark words.

"_Darkest light, wreak havoc within this brightest realm of sterility;_

_break free from the shell of sleep upon the innocence of children;_

_Take from thee the need of power, that you may break this rock in the river of time;_

_And release what should be..."_

Jackle said these words in a dark, and deep language, each word resonating with thousands of sorcerers of black incantations, shaking the very foundation of this world that suppressed the life of his child. The clouds gathered together, creating a dark amassing of dark clouds, as the sun was blotted out by Jackle's words. From Jackle's chest, there can a threadbare line of white energy, which made contact with the book, and Jackle winced, and writhed in pain, but made no sound of struggle, and kept concentration.

Soon, the clouds above ripped open a black hole, and from whence came a large dark withered hand that reached for Faren, and Jackle raised his bleeding arm. "BREAK HER FREE!" He roared, as the thread almost broke, as the hand came down upon Faren, and through her, as she gasped, her light purple eyes shooting open for the first time in three years. "Daddy... daddy, where am I?!" she said, her purple eyes darting from the ghouls beginning to pour through the hole, as Jackle clenched his hand around the thread, and yanked it from the book with a yell of pain, and shoving it back within his chest, and scooped up his daughter. "Nowhere, it doesn't matter where we are... what matters is where we're going!" He said to her soothingly, as he hopped through the portal hole as it closed, covering his daughter's eyes.

"_She's very beautiful, Jackle." _Naryu's voice resonated, as Jackle stood up, with his baby in his arms, holding her head against his chest tightly. She was crying, from the sights she had seen. "Shhhh, it's ok, sweetheart... it's ok..." he said, and Naryu smiled, and gave them a few moments they deserved after so long apart. _"Are you ready for your judgment?"_ Naryu asked, and Jackle smiled. "More than you know... I can die happy now..." He said, and Naryu smiled at him.

"_That's good to know... although you aren't going to." _She said, and Jackle blinked. "I'm not?" He asked, and she nodded. _"No, you're not. But... as to repent... you have to test Dark... you have to tell him nothing of your reasonings for what you did... tantalize the murderous intent with him... and see if he can control the remnants of what Chaos left inside of him... that'll be one of the first tests he'll have to undertake... to see if he can defeat Ganon... and retake Chaos to control." _She said, and Jackle nodded, taking his daughter by the hand. "Thank you, Mother."


	25. Class is in Session

**It's me, Kevin again, with another chapter of my favorite story. So far, no one's reviewed besides Biggoron. Kinda depressing... Oh well.**

**Here's another chapter for all of you! Hope you enjoy it!**

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During Dark's training, Marac's eyes shot westward. "What was that...?" and suddenly, a smart backhand came from his opponent. "Hey, you're training me, so no slacking, old man. You said fist fighting was first." Dark said, cracking his neck with a smirk. Marac smiled wide, knowing something that Dark didn't. "Fight me, child." And at the word child, Dark leapt at him, letting off fists like a wild beast. Marac ducked under a right hook, rolled out of the way of a low roundhouse, and jumped over a shoulder tackle that Dark charged at him with that would have sent him flying. "Fight me!" Dark yelled, adrenaline entering his veins, blood lust beginning to course through his veins.

Marac threw a straight jab at immense speeds, which Dark threw one in return, to meet his fist, and they collided with a mighty slam, fist to fist, as Dark quickly switched his fist to open palm. Wrapping his arm around Marac's, Dark let loose a fierce headbutt, and then grabbed his shoulders, and drove a knee into his stomach, lifting him from the ground a little, and causing him to double over. Then, he let off a painful kick to Marac's face, sending him flying back.

By now, Dark had lost all control, his mind consumed by the prospect of the kill, like a beast's. Dark began laughing hysterically, as he readied himself for the death blow. As he charged, he stopped midway, a surging pain coursing through his soul. Dark could feel the beating of his heart in his ears, and with every beat, the world seemed to shake, and blur, as the pain dropped him to all fours. Link was one of the onlookers, watching this battle from a bench with Zelda.

"What...w-w-hat... what did you...do to ME!?" Dark roared, in pain, as the beating got louder. "This is the Mark of Chaos left on you..." he said, as sharp cracking noises from Dark signaled his anatomy was being re-arranged. Onlookers watched disgusted as Dark's body began to warp and disfigure, and Link jumped up. "Ma..ar..ac...m-make... this stop..." Dark said, in such a pain, he had never felt before. His skin literally began to crawl, as if something was burrowing underneath. "This is the shell..." Marac said, and Dark's skin became black, and then faded into a deathly white color.

"..." Dark stood silent, his face completely different, his eyes shut, and his limbs limp, and looking disconnected. "Dark...? Can you hear me in there...?" Marac said, getting up, and approaching Dark, who slashed at him, with his sword, which had become entirely black, as his head rolled, his head disconnected from his spine. He then opened his eyes, which were entirely white, and opened his mouth, which from whence poured a sickly black mist.

"What did you do to him!?" Sheik yelled, from the stunned onlookers. Marac shushed her. "Quiet. Or he'll target you. This is what happens when Chaos takes over a withered soul... but figuring this is the shell of Chaos' power, this is a minor form of what'd happen to Dark if he couldn't overpower Chaos' soul, once it had entirely absorbed his."

Sheik looked confused. "But don't you need your soul to be who you are? If Dark has to overpower Chaos' soul and take it as his own, will he change?" and Marac sidestepped Dark's slash. "Yes and no. You can't exactly destroy a soul... Dark's soul, is within Chaos'. Once Chaos had absorbed all of Dark's soul, and they became one, that's when the battle within him would begin, the battle for dominance. Whoever won that said battle within his soul would, in Dark's case, get to keep his body, who he is, and gain immeasurable power, and maybe a second personality. In Chaos' case, he'd be revived, and given another suitable body to wreak havoc with." Marac said.

"Aren't you training him out of order? Shouldn't you train him to fight Ganon before he starts training to defeat Chaos' soul?" Link asked, and he then ducked under a deft arrow shot. "No, not necessarily. Dark has all the fighting skill he could ever need, but he lacks control, which is the point of this exercise." He said, and as Dark slashed at Marac again. "Once he can overpower the shell of Chaos' power, and control it, he'll have a new power to work with." Marac said, as he was almost stabbed with a blade, and then he lost his patience. "FUCK OFF!" He said, grabbing Dark by the wrist, and yanking the blade from his hand, and throwing it far far away. "This is quite gross..." Marac said, wiping his hand of slime. It seemed that Dark had a thin layer of slime on his skin, as he stared at Marac with pupil-less eyes. He then unsheathed his bow, and Marac seemed to be aggravated, as he brought down his great sword on the bow, effectively splitting it in two. "Come on Dark, where's that will to live? I know you're in there, and I know you can hear me. What would you do if you were overpowered by magic, and someone had Sheik hostage? What would you do then? Sit and watch?" Marac said, and Dark looked at him with a tilted head.

"Fine. So be it." He said, and he dashed over to Sheik, and grabbed her from behind, placing a knife at her throat. "WHAT WILL YOU DO, DARK!?" He said, and Sheik was terrified. "What are you FUCKING thinking, Marac?!" And Marac seemed to have lost his mind. "Shut the hell up, Sheik." He said, sharply hitting her. "No one take a fucking step closer, or she dies. So no heroics, Link." He said, and Dark still stood there, lifeless and seeming to be confused. "DARK, The girl will DIE." He said, as he began to plunge the knife into Sheik's arm, and she began to squirm in protest. "I will kill you, you SONUVABITCH!" She yelled, and then began yelling in pain as the blade slowly found it's way into her flesh.

Dark suddenly stood erect, and began twitching, and hissing in pain, slime pouring from his mouth. His arms began cracking, and slamming back into place, instead of his arms being below his waist, they were at the proper length, and his head slammed back into place on his neck, and his skin slowly darkened back to his tan complexion, his eyes now changing to fully black. "Put her down." Dark said, in a deep voice, the words shaking the ground. "Good... you're tapping into Chaos' left behind power." He said, and Dark repeated himself. "Put. Her. Down. NOW." And Marac smiled childishly. "Make me." He said.

Dark held his hand out, and Marac realized he had become paralyzed, and suddenly, his limbs became incredibly heavy, and it felt like a hand was removing his hands from around Sheik. "Well, this is interesting..." Marac said, as suddenly, it felt like a large hand pressed him to the floor with immense pressure and speed. Dark lifted his other hand, and extended it to Sheik. She looked confused, and Dark smiled. "It's alright." He said, in his normal voice, and she warily walked towards him.

"You never quit scaring me... I think I ought to stop hitting you... because if I do I may end up like Marac over there." She said, looking to Marac who kept trying to stand, and was then slammed into the ground again, with even more force. "Ow..." he said, and Dark laid his hand on her, and darkness from nearby shadows trailed to his hand, and formed a pure black disc on Sheik's arm. He then removed his hand, and the wound was gone.

"Daaaark... I was teaching you, stop trying to squish me... I was just trying to teach you how ta control ya powers, now, LET ME UP!" Marac yelled, and Dark smiled. "If you insist." And, suddenly, Marac was lifted a good hundred yards into the air. "NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIIIIIIIIiiiiind..." Marac said, his voice trailing off as he entered the sky. Dark's eyes then became normal, crimson.

"So this is how to control powers, huh? Kinda boring. Almost puts limits on what you can do. I kinda liked the spur of the moment power surges. More fun..." Dark said, and a voice laughed, from behind him.

"Well,whatever floats your boat, you'll need to learn this for one day." Marac said, a bit of mist clinging onto him. Dark whirled around. "Never. Ever again, use my girlfriend for a teaching instrument." Dark said, and Marac nodded with a chuckle. "I just needed her to teach you the basis of control. Now, whenever you have to control your powers, just imagine what happened today.. and then focus on what it felt like to be in control, and focus on learning that feeling, and remembering how to create that feeling whenever you need to control any facet of yourself." Marac said. "Class ends for today." He said, walking away, dispersing into a cloud of mist, that quickly rose and disappeared.

**_Elsewhere..._**

"You will OBEY ME!" Ganon roared, slamming the black Tri-force pendant onto the table that was scratched with various enchantments, candles and dark sacrifices littering the table. Ganon began chanting ancient magics, and the Tri-Force of Chaos began resonating, and a blurry form appeared on the table in the form of a human.

"You called, Dear?" The figure said, laughing, in a way that sent chills down Ganon's spine. "Don't give me any of that sass, you worthless God!" Ganon exclaimed, slamming a fist into the table. "Ahhh, terrifying. You truly scare me, Ganon. Actually, not in the slightest. What do you want exactly?" The figure said, apparently Chaos. Chaos looked vaguely like a blurred outline of Dark, since he had absorbed most of his soul. "I want to take your soul, and become a God!" And Chaos stifled a snicker.

"Really now? I think being alone in this Mansion has knocked a few screws loose." He said, and he smiled, angering Ganon immensely. "I WILL become a God, and I WILL take over Terra!" He exclaimed. "Why?" Chaos asked, hopping down from the table he was summoned sitting onto, and looked Ganon in the face, his crimson eyes making Ganon feel uneasy.

"...uh..." Ganon said, thrown off. "To take over Terra?" Ganon said, confused, and Chaos sighed. "Why?" He said, again, and Ganon shrugged. "Because I wanna...?" He said, and Chaos shook his head. "You have something in your head tormenting you.. If you don't have enough courage, spine, or whatever you have in that disgusting sack of flesh... I don't see the point of even considering lending my power to you." Chaos said, as he walked over to the table. "Don't bother calling me up again until you decide to tell me. Otherwise, I may have to kill you." Chaos said, as he laid his hand on the black triangle, and then faded into it.

Ganon sat himself in a chair, grumbling. "I don't have to explain myself to that hack.. I don't have to explain myself to anyone... I can do whatever I want. No one needs to know my past..." Ganon said, twiddling his thumbs. "Damn god..." He said, and decided to go to sleep. All these thoughts of world conquest had tired out the insane demon sorcerer.


	26. The Devil

**Here's another chapter for all of you, and it's going to be a good one, one that delves into Ganon's past... and gives him a reason to be who he is.

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Ganon began pacing his room, where that table stood, grumbling to himself incoherently. "I should just destroy the cocky bastard..." Ganon said, as he begun to think about his past. He then began slamming his head with the open palm of his hand. "No. NO NO NO. I won't think about it. I refuse." He said, and a laughing voice floated out from the back of his head. _"Coward..."_ A voice stated, with a laugh.

Who said that?! Ganon thought, whirling about. The laughing continued. "IS THAT YOU, CHAOS?!" He yelled, snatching up the black Tri-Force. It remained unresponsive. _"No, master, it's your creation." _A mocking voice said, echoing from seemingly, his head. "DAAAARK!" He yelled, as the face of Link's dark counterpart flashed behind his eyes, smiling at him defiantly. He then threw the black Tri-Force to the wall, it's sharp edges getting stuck in the wall. "WHERE ARE YOU, COWARD?!" He roared, and suddenly, everything went black.

"I'm not the coward... you are. You're haunted by your flaws, by your mistakes. And I'm your Djinn, your inner demon... the one who'll always be there, in the back of your head, reminding you of your mistakes." He said, and Ganon laughed manically, the laugh borderline growl. "I'll kill YOU!" He yelled, charging at Dark, and suddenly, a pale white face appeared, large and domineering, that stopped Ganon's fist.

"Oh, see something you didn't like? Something that you want to forget? You kept up this facade for a very long time... that you're nothing more than just a heartless beast that fears nothing. You feel pain... you fear things... something though, more than anything. Let's recap on what that may be... let's delve through your mind... see what I can get my hands on..." Dark said, as Ganon began sweating at that face he had saw. That pale skin... blonde hair... granite eyes... that face terrified him to no end.

Suddenly, pains shot through his skull, and he dropped to his knees. He began breathing heavy, as he felt a heavy hand pulling the iron curtain he had placed around those thoughts, and he fought that hand to open what he had veiled, and tried so hard to forget. Ganon began growled. "NOOOOO..." He growled, as he fought the hand, but to no avail. It was slowly pushing the curtain back. "Your mind is weak, although your body is strong." Dark said, as he swept his hand, and the black abyss of Ganon's mind was pushed back.

"Let's review..." Dark said, flipping through the pages of Ganon's mind. "Doesn't this look familiar?" he said with a laugh, as he watched as Ganon created him. "I bet you'd never think that I'd be the one to seal you... and to torment you." he said, and Ganon began sweating horrendously, as he saw the deserts he was raised in. "NO, I DONT WANT TOOO..." Ganon whined, laughing weakly, as he found he was anchored to the dark platform he was situated on. As he watched below him, he saw the landscape zoom by, as if he was an eagle. As he flew over, he saw that same stronghold. "NO, STOP IT, PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!!" He roared, and Dark giggled sinisterly. "You never showed me mercy. You ruined my life, why can't I have a little fun with yours?" He said, and Ganon began growling. "I'll... make you... suffer for this..." He said, and Dark laughed. "Sure you will." He said, and the two began to dissolve into Ganon's memories.

A blonde man, with cold granite eyes , wore a heavy black cloak, which he bundled around his deathly pale skin. Madness was evident in his stone eyes, as he spotted a fort of some kind off in the distance. "Finally... repose..." He said, in a low, devilish voice. As he walked further, apparently the sandstorm raging around him was playing a trick on his eyes, and when he made it to the fort, it was nighttime. He pulled down his hood, his obelisk eyes glinting in the darkness, as a fanged grin graced his face. "Wonderful... women..." He said, as he spotted the female guards patrolling the outside of the stronghold.

He walked calmly towards the entrance, and noticed a sentry positioned on a tower, to spot intruders. He ran a hair through his pin straight chin length light blonde hair, and laughed a low growl of a laugh. Suddenly, he disappeared, and reappeared in front of the sentry.

"Hello, love..." He said, stroking her chin, and smelling her neck. "What are you willing to do to keep your life?" He said, and the woman shook, in panic, at the sharp edge of a knife placed against the back of her neck, his arm wrapped around her. "Come on... no response...?" He said, chuckling to himself, as he began kissing her neck. "...Anything, please, don't kill me, I beg you!" She whined, and the man giggled. "Beggars can't be choosers..." He said, pausing as he whispered the rest of his words in her ear.

"...and beggars deserve to die." He said, as he wrapped his cold slender fingers around her neck tighter, and placed a finger to her lips, as she began whimpering out loud. "Shhhh... make a word, and I'll make this hurt more..." He said, leading her to the edge of the sentry's railing. "Hold this." He said, placing a coin in her hand. He then slapped her hand, causing her to drop the coin. "What have you done! You dropped my lucky coin, whore." He said, putting on a face of mock anger, it dissolving into the devil's smile again. "Now, go get my coin. Without climbing the ladder either." He said, and she shook her head. "I can't!" She said, and the man grinned evilly "Of course you can... you just need a helping hand..." He said, shoving her off the edge.

And down she fell. Crack. "Oh, she hit her head... I guess I'll have to get my coin myself..." he said, leaping off the side, and landing besides the twitching body of the Gerudo female with blood forming around her, and he picked up his 'lucky coin'. He then continued to move forward, as noticed more guards, some walking towards the site of where the sentry had fallen off the sentry post.

"What was that...?" One said, and the other shrugged. "I don't know, let's go and find out?" the other female said, and the man smiled wickedly, as he slunk into the shadows. They walked forward some more, and then when they saw the shape of a fellow Gerudo, they ran over quickly, one crouching to look at her. "She's dying..." The one crouching said, and the one standing shook her head. "Who could've done thi-" But suddenly, she began gurgling instead of finishing her sentence.

A knife had found it's way clean through the back of her throat, and out the other side. Suddenly, she felt another stab of pain, and she looked down, to see a long sliver of steel piercing her stomach. "Does this hurt?" He whispered in her ear as he stepped out of the shadow, his gray eyes twinkling in joy. He then began moving the blade in and out of her flesh, as the blood began pouring from her stomach. The other woman turned around, wondering why she was so silent.

"Oh my goddes-" But she too, was silenced, as the blade protruding from her midsection was then thrust through her skull. "Well, what do we have here? A kabob!" He said, shoving the blade all the way through, while the woman with the blade through her midsection watching on in horror as she was slowly dying and had her companion's blood pouring down her stomach. "Aw... dead already?" He said, removing them from his blade, and running a finger up the flat side. He then stuck it in his mouth.

"Mmmm... these woman... have a better flavor than the Hyrulian women..." He said, as a certain lust entered his eyes. He began to walk into the stronghold, slinking in and out of the shadows, evading the guards. For some reason, his blade stood at rest, and his eyes were seeking something he couldn't see. After a while, he entered an empty hallway, with an ornate door at the end of it. The man began sniffing the air around the hallway. "Aaaah, there... she's in there..." He said, sighing as he breathed in the atmosphere of this silent room, as an ecstasy entered his expression, as he laid a hand on the knob, and it glowed black momentarily, and the door opened lazily. A bed lay in the middle of the room, a purple veil hanging around the bed, and a lazy violet mist hung about the room. The man snapped his fingers, and the sound of shackles latching closed rang throughout the air, and he swept his hand behind him, and the door closed.

A woman of eighteen, the prodigy Gerudo, the Gerudo Commander, lay sleeping... but strange sounds stirred her from her slumber. "What was that...?" She said sleepily, as she attempted to sit up, but her legs and arms were magically shackled to the bed. "...what the...?" She muttered, and suddenly, the veil parted, and a pale faced devil stood there, grinning madly. "Hello dear... are you ready for the ride of your life...?" He said, arms opened at his sides, as he climbed onto the bed, and began kissing down her neck as his hand strayed...

Then the visage became black.

"Well... would you look at that... Traysa is your mother... and you're the bastard child of the twisted man... named..." And Ganondorf's eyes were wide, and bloodshot from watching that memory that his mother had relayed to him, and that he had created in his thoughts. "Don't say his...name..." Ganon muttered, and Dark smiled wickedly, as he walked toward Ganon and leaned over and whispered a single word into his ear; ".._Darac_." And suddenly, the black iron curtains snapped wide open, that name triggering hated memories.

"Good morning, child." Darac said, wearing nothing but a tight black tank-top, and baggy gray pants, as Ganondorf walked down the steps. Darac knew full well that he was the prophesied King of Thieves... and in order to live up to that title... he needed to be ruthless, and twisted... and Darac was the man to give him that. All he had to do was warp his mind with daily suffering.

Darac swiftly clenched his hand around his throat, and lifted the small fourteen year old boy clear off the ground, his muscular body intimidating Ganon, and Darac smiled. "You envy this, don't you...?" Darac said, as Ganon's eyes began to bulge as he gasped for air. Darac slammed him at least an inch into the wall. "If you want strength, SON, you'll have to EARN IT!" he roared, slamming him into the wall again and again.

Traysa ran in, wondering what the noise was. "DARAC, STOP IT NOW!" And she rushed at him, to restrain his muscular arm, but he ended up backhanding her. "Stupid woman, don't think for a moment that I ever loved you..." He said, throwing her child across the room. "For anything more than the sweet sweet taste of your nectar..." he said, as he lifted her up, and pushed her against the wall. "If you want me to hold off on beating the poor fool... allow me a sampling of your sweet taste..." He said, running his hands all over her.

Back in the main room, Ganon got up, and cursed his father under his breath. He was tired of the mindless beatings... he was going to kill him, and make him suffer as he had made him and his mother suffer, and make him beg for his life, and realize his mistakes. And gain revenge on him, for himself, and his mother. And become the King of Thieves, and claw his way up to power, and make everyone respect him.

Four years later, Ganon had reached a size to rival his father's. One day, he walked down the stairs from his bedroom, where he always got his daily beating, to the brink of death, unless his mother intervened... but lately, she hadn't anymore, and lost the will to even deal with Darac. She had lost all sympathy to virtually everyone around her, since recently, and had occasionally even attributed to his misery. He had lost all sanity, and was tired of his beatings, his life, and his father. As he father approached him like he did every morning, he threw a fist with a roar of anger at his father, and Darac didn't even move, and he took the fist to the face. A low laugh resonated from behind Ganon's fist.

"Apparently... you've finally gained some backbone, child." He said, wrapping his cold slender fingers around his arm, and pulling it away and down from his face, where there was barely a mark. "You have no IDEA who you're playing with, do you, BOY?!" he said, snapping his arm, and with a yank, pulled him into a vicious knee, than brought the King of Thieves to his knees. Darac began laughing sinisterly.

"Remember, child... you'll never surpass your father. I'll always be a step ahead of you, no matter how you grow in power, and I'll always be insulting you... and the day you become as powerful as Darac.." He said, with a fanged grin, lifting him by his collar, and whispering in his ear, like he did with all of his victims of cruelty. "...I'll kill you, boy..." He said, as he drove a dagger deep into his chest. "Traysa... thank you for all the memorable nights... and good luck with this establishment you have here..." He said, with ill will dripping from his teeth. "... and don't be bitter to me... you should feel blessed..." He said, as he began dissolving into darkness, as his voice began to warp, and distort, as his appearance became terrifying, as he took on the visage of a soul tainted with the devil's.

"_Soon, one day, Son, I'll collect your bones to make a crown with..._" He said, chuckling madly, as Traysa began crying hysterically, and Ganon's soul, spirit and sanity snapped. He had finally lost it. Hatred and anger consumed him, and soon... nothing more would ever grace his mind besides becoming stronger than he...

The curtain closed again.

"Hahahahaha!" Dark laughed, and Ganon was twitching madly. "So, you're the product of a rape!" Dark laughed, and Ganon began growling. "Quiet, fool..." He rumbled, as Dark's laughing intensified. Ganon's body shook. "I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Ganon roared, as he broke the heavy pressure on his body, and lunged at Dark, like a madman, but he dispersed into black mist... and Ganon awoke, finding himself in his bedroom, sweating profusely.

"It was .. all just a dream..." Ganon said...

...But back at the Arena, Dark stood alone in the dark, his eyes as black as night from using Chaos' power... and they faded back to crimson. "Now... I know Ganon's true fear... and the exact way to defeat him."


	27. Another Series of Events

**A chapter for you all!**

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

Dark sat down in the dark, and he thought. Darac... would kill Ganon if he ever was to gain more power than he... so, Dark had to find Darac, and tell him of this, and have him will Dark his alliance and help Dark defeat Ganon.

But he had his grudge match coming up soon... and Marac had requested a quick training session before he got to his fight, so he'd be optimally trained to take on his opponent. Dark left his dark room, with Sheik laying besides him, smiling happily. He looked at her with a smile of his own, and ran a hand through her long beautiful hair.

"Mali, you can come out of the shadow, now..." He said, as he continued to run his hand through her hair, and then a finger down her face. Mali whined. "I have to keep an eye on you when you aren't! I don't need you two lovebirds getting separated again." She said, and Dark frowned. "Don't call me a love biiird." He whined back, and Mali floated on over to him, with a childish smile.

"Or what?" She said, with a defiant grin, and Dark smiled wickedly. "Or I'll forcibly make you small enough to fit in my hat." He said with a wicked grin, and she frowned. "That's meeeean!" She whined, and Dark sighed, and suddenly, he was hit sharply by a fist from the darkness.

"Shut uuuup, Ishi... I'm tryin' to sleep, dammit..." Sheik said, snorting and rolling over. "Attractive." Dark said, cocking an eyebrow. Dark then was elbowed in the stomach, and he clutched his gut in pain, "Sweetheart, we have a match against dick-face soon..." He said, and he tried to wake her up, but to no avail. "Go kill him yaself... I wanna sleep..." She said, with a groan, rolling over. Dark looked at her with a sigh, and shrugged. He might as well leave her alone and go deal with Marac and then come wake her up for the match, and if not, he'd take the handicap, and still win, he thought confidently. These new powers of his were growing... and he hadn't realized control could be such a good thing.

Grabbing up his Anti-Master sword, and his Gerudo buckler, he slipped on his chest plate, and head out of the bedroom door, and out of the common room. Marac was waiting outside the door, and swung deftly at Dark's neck with his great sword, and using his blade and buckler in concert, he blocked a deadly downwards blow. The blade clashed there, as Marac poured more strength into crushing Dark beneath him.

"Overpower me!" Marac roared, as Dark began buckling, and his knees began bending as Marac pulled back on his great sword, and thrust it at Dark, he defenses wide open from blocking with all his force. "In order to face Taior, you're going to have to hone your swordsman skills." He said, the point of the blade centimeters from his throat.

"Uh huh..." He said, moving the point away from him with his fingertip, and he walked up to Marac, with a smile on his face. "Marac...?" He asked plainly, and Dark placed a hand on Marac's shoulder. "Yes...?" And suddenly a look of pain graced Marac's face as his eyes bulged and watered. Dark had driven his steel-toed boot into his crotch about three times. "STOP TRYING TO KILL ME!" He said, and Marac dropped to his knees, head tucked between his legs, but he made not a single word, as he regained his composure and he stood up, and stared at Dark, rubbing his goatee.

Dark was then met with an intense headbutt, and everything went blurry, and Dark stumbled. "I'll remove your toes if you ever hit me there again..." Marac said, his green eyes stonelike. "Yessir..." Dark said, as he gripped onto a nearby wall. "But yeah... swordsman skills, go on?" Dark said, and Marac nodded. "Yes, the blade you hold... has vast unlockable potential... a lot more than you can even imagine. I'm going to begin to teach you how to focus this, and bring it into the existence of... say, a familiar." He said, as he unsheathed his blade, held it at his side, and closed his eyes.

"All of us are aligned with a specific element... that embodies our personality. That, in time, becomes the essense of your blade once you have found your true weapon. Yours, is the Legendary Anti-Master sword, the bane of all that is holy." He said, as he let his blade tip touch the floor. "Mine... was shattered by your friend... but that doesn't mean it's gone forever... slowly, I've been piecing it back together with my own powers..." He said as his sword's blade became transcluesent, like the one Dark had fought once, and he could see a vague image of that dragon swirling within the mist.

"The Great Wyrm is bound to me, by the very tethers of our soul... and he will one day recognize me as it's master... but until then, I can only summon a minor version of his true power." he said, as from the mist burst a man-size wyrm, it's long mist-like whiskers flowing in the wind as it's wise eyes looked from over Marac's shoulders.

"Attack..." Marac said, pointing his blade at Dark, as the world around them became engulfed in Mist. "What the hell! Didn't I just tell you not to do this kinda shit!?" Dark growled, as the wyrm whirled around the blade, and shot at him, and Dark held up his buckler, to guard as he attempted to dodge the nimble beast of mist. It was far faster than Dark anticipated and it slammed into Dark's buckler, and Dark grunted. The only thing stopping the beast from flowing straight through it was the magic of the shield that the sage of spirit had imbued it with.

He then remembered his tactic from before, the steaming sand that burst out and had defended him against that mighty Wyrm of Mist. Dark pushed the beast off, and decided to try something new, as he slapped the Anti-Master against his shield, creating a large spark, and shoting sand all over the place, from the enchanted shield of sand. The beast launched himself from the blade again, and Dark backflipped again, when landing on his feet, slapping it again, creating another spark, and scattering sand all around him, that was giving off burning heat.

Dark began laughing as he began to dodge more and more in rhythm to the beating of his sword smashing his shield. Then, he jumped back, and swatted the Wyrm away with his blazing shield, and it fled to Marac, and wrapped itself around him, laying it's head on his shoulder. Marac tilted his head, wondering what Dark was doing. The ground lay scattered with sands all around him, and he was grinning manically.

"BURN!" He roared, his eyes becoming black, as he slammed his shield and sword together as his eyes became enveloped with flames and then became black like the night, and suddenly, from the shield and blade, burst forth a raging tempest of fire, that became one with the magic sands, and there was suddenly a flaming sandstorm surging towards Marac with a pillar of fire as it's eye. Marac stumbled backwards, shocked by the sudden outburst of power.

The mist then disappeared, and Marac stood there, a shadowy outline of a ghost, and then he gained corporeality. "Well. I didn't have to do a thing to teach you this time... apparantly... now that you understand control... you've already begun to progress. In that case, the lesson's been taught. I'll call you if I need to teach you again." He said, dissipating into mist.

"He's pretty much replaced Jackle as the group's mysterious person." Kirei said, as he and his crew sat around him, behind, on and in front of the wall. Kirei sat upon the wall, and he ran a hand through his hair. "You know, that Marac guy... not the best teacher. I havn't seen him teach you a thing besides how to woop him repeatedly." He said, and Rat jumped up over the wall. "Yes. We. Could. Teach. You. A. Thing. Or. Two." He said, as he hopped over the wall to say each word. "You should be glad, Requaem, figuring that we're by far the most skilled group of seafarers to ever grace the ocean blue." Dyre said, shining his gauntlet on his cloak. "Such a masterful seafarer you are, King." A voice said from behind him, a female's voice.

As he turned around, he was belted across the face by an older woman, who's face had been unveiled, a smooth face, with topaz and azure eyes and crimson garb, the second in command at the Fortress. " So masterful, that you ran into your second in command and didn't recognize her." She said, folding her arms, and Dyre scratched the back of his head, ruffling his short unkempt red hair. "You've grown. I see you've also grown facial hair." She said, grabbing him by the tuft of crimson hair on his chin, and pulled him down to inspect his face.

"Sideburns too. Although you look like a juvenile, at least you're shaping up into a real man." She says, blase, and nodding simply. Dyre wrapped his gauntlet around her wrist. "Let go or I'll have to crush ya wrist." He said, wincing in pain. Reseray, Dark's stepmother, grinned. "Oh really then? I dare you." She said, and Dyre grinned as his fist began flaming and he went to clamp it down around a surprised Resaray's wrist.

But he never got the time to, as a lightning speed kick slammed into his ribs, sending him stumbling a few steps to the side. "Ow." He said, rubbing his side, and Dark was standing there, eyes black and expression gaunt. "Hey!" He exclaimed, looking almost hurt that a person like a brother to him had kicked him so hard. Figuring he was such a figure of bulk and strength, Dark had to put a bit of force into that kick, which hurt Dyre emotionally. He looked at him like a beaten puppy.

"Don't look at me like that, you were gonna hurt my mom!" He said, and Dyre frowned. "She challenged me..." He said, and Dark sighed. "If you have a problem with her, fight me instead, if she bothered you that much." He said, and Dyre stroked his chin and muttered something. "Don't worry about it." He said, and sat down against the wall. Kirei jumped down from the wall, patting Dyre's shoulder.

"Well, anyways, whether or not you've got power, without finesse, a skilled swordsman..." He said, unsheathing his rapier, and swiftly stabbing at Dark's torso, who dodged, he wedged his thin blade under his sheathed blade's hilt, and flung it from his sheath and away from him, and with a flourish, he placed the tip under Dark's chin.

"...would be able to disarm you and pierce a vital within moments..." Kirei said plainly, twirling his rapier after pulling it away, and sheathing it. "You people never cease to amaze me, really..." Dark said, as he held out his hand, and his sword dissipated into shadow, and traveled to his hand. "Nor do you. You're so terribly inconsistent... you're always shifting, changing and learning new things." He said, and Dark shrugged. "I can't really help that..." He said, unsheathing his blade to be taught by the pirate.

_**Elsewhere...**_

Ganon was curled up in a ball, on the floor, in his bedroom. The thoughts of his cruel father was torturing him... like his father had actually done to him. The horrors he had endured under that Devil's reign was terrifying... slow painful nights of enchanted pain... enduring days of him slitting his skin with a knife to teach him to endure pain... pain and torment had become Ganon and dominated his life. But soon... he would change that... he would make the world endure HIS torture, his pain, his suffering. His most deformed nightmare would become the world's eerie reality soon. All it would take would be to face the Devil again... and he needed Chaos to do so. Ganon stumbled to his feet, nightmares of Darac flashing through his eyes with every step he took, making staying conscious a difficulty, as his laugh taunted Ganon from beyond his eyes, in his deepest sanctum of his mind. Ganon stumbled to the table where Dark's pendant lay.

"Chaos... I seek your power!" He panted, as he laid a hand on the trinket. Chaos' voice resonated through his mind, the sweet sound of power echoing in his voice, the voice of a siren to the powerless Ganon. "I can feel the inner torment within you... that is the fertile soil I need to plant the seeds of my power." He said, laughing sinisterly. "I hope you know, though, accepting my power within you... will cause such a surging of power, that the Devil will feel it...? He'll come looking for you, and challenge you, and kill you, if he finds your power has equaled his." Chaos said, and Ganon nodded, grinning manically as Darac's image floated through his mind. "Yes... yes... that's EXACTLY what I want!" He said, and Chaos chuckled. "Alright then... I'll lend you the power of a TRUE god... and I'll show you what REAL power is... and your enemies will become MY enemies, your will... will become my will." He said, as there was a burst of dark radiance from the pendant.

Ganon's eyes widened. "Yes... this... is ... POWER!" He yelled, as he took in the power of Chaos flooded into him as the dark radiance became black mist, as he breathed it in, as he doubled over, as he began taking it in, deeper and deeper, the power an ecstasy to the depraved beast. Then the mist disappeared, and Ganon began radiating black power, as he held his hands out, and from the shadows, dark orchestrated music resonated, embodying the world's soon to be despair.

_**Deep Within the Farthest Reach of the Sacred Realm...**_

A man was crouched on all fours, eating some fallen fiend, laughing hysterically. "Grimm... you'll have to send more powerful minions to catch the Devil..." He said, laughing as he bore his way into the servant's chest, and within his crimson rib-cage, lay a mist-white orb, that was trying to escape the body. "Now, now... this is my soul to eat... you can't have it, Grimm..." the man said, laughing, his face bloodied.

Suddenly, a huge pulse surged through the darkness, and the man spun around, and he whirled around. It was Darac, and his face was tinted red, and his eyes were blaring crimson, and they were widened at this swelling of power. He then smiled. "The boy's becoming a man..." He said, with a laugh, and he began to rip an opening in the realm of the dead, Grimm's dominion.

Suddenly, in front of the rip, appeared Grimm, his long white hair flowing in the shadows. "Enough of this hide and seek, Devil, it's about time I collected your soul." He said, and Darac grinned devilish. "I think not." He said, jumping at the Deity, his eyes flaring crimson, his hands warping and becoming blankened and clawed. With the swing of his claws left red rips of energy in the air, as he launched himself at Grimm quicker and quicker as his form became more and more deformed, his skin becoming blackened, as he slowly turned into a demonic animal, black horns beginning to protrude from his hair, which was slowly darknening. He was crouched, like a feral beast, the only feature of humanity left was on his face, his devilish grin and insane eyes everpresent.

"Goodbye, Grimm..." He said, leaping backwards through the red portal that he had originally opened. "Damn... I hadn't realized that he was getting me away from the portal, I was just trying not to get tainted by the Devil's Touch..." He said, running his hand through his hair, disappointed.

_**Back at the Eternal Tournament...**_

Dark was engaging Taior blade for blade, and his partner circled around and began slashing at Dark. "What, no honor system?" Dark asked, and Taior's lithe partner laughed. "There's no honor or glory in battle! Just victory!" He said, slashing at him swiftly, and Dark's eyes began burning as flames enveloped his eyes and blackened them. He grinned as he blocked a blow with his buckler, and dodged a slash from Taior, as darkness swallowed his fist, and he placed both hands on his sword, and ripped it apart, creating a shadowy copy of his Anti-Master Sword, and he began laughing. "Winds born of shadow... lift my blades!" He said, as shadows carried on the winds wrapped around his arms, and he began blocking and parrying blows from both of them.

"WHAT, CAN'T KEEP UP ANYMORE!?" He exclaimed, laughing hysterically, breaking down both of their guards, and just as he was just about to finish both of them as he disarmed them, but suddenly, a pulse of energy was sent through the air, and everyone stopped, and looked towards the source of this power. "Sorry,we'll finish this later." Dark said, as he slammed an elbow into Taior's partner's face, and slammed a knee into Taior himself. The announcer beamed.

"OH, A DEADLY YET MERCIFUL DISPLAY! Dark has knocked out his two opponents, while they were distracted by that monumental display of power from a mysterious source!" The announcer exclaimed, and a second pulse hit the Eternal Tournament, and Dark doubled over. "Agh..." He grunted, clutching his chest. He could feel his soul slowly being pulled away from him, as he dropped to his knees. "No..." He said, as he felt the power of Chaos' remaining power that he had overwhelmed, coming back to life, and trying to take his soul with it, the two being one.

"NO..." He replied, again, as a third pulse, an even larger one hit Dark. These pulses sent out by Chaos were meant to retake the remnants of power that he had left in Dark's hollowed soul. "No... NO, NO!" Dark yelled, in intense pain, slamming his fist into the ground repeatedly as his eyes went from black to soul-less white over and over as his soul almost left him. "NO, I WILL LIVE!" He yelled, struggling to his feet as the black pearl he wore began glowing white, and Sheik ran from the common room, to the arena. "Dark!" She exclaimed, realizing that she had ditched him in the battle where she would ultimately repent for what she had done before.

She went to run to him, and just as she reached him, Dark had shot out a pulse of energy of his own, as he vanished in a blast of white light. "...Dark...?" Sheik asked, looking around.


	28. New Heroes Rather, Heroines

Sheik was painstricken. He was gone again...

_Where is he now, this time...? _

_Would he be gone for another decade...?_

_...why couldn't he just stay with me for once..._

Shike dropped to her knees and cursed Chaos. Pounding her fist into the stone, she muttered obscenities fueled by blind rage. As she let loose her silent fury, something in her snapped.

She was going to find him this time.

Sheik was taking the reins, she had spent too long being the good little girl, and listening to Dark's requests. Fuck what Dark had to say, she's bringing him back, he's hers, and no one else's. Period.

She stood up, and wiped tears from her face. "Stop it, you've never cried before, you wimp... I must not be strong enough... I need to train, and I need to find Dark!" She exclaimed, in firm resolve. Link approached her. "Are you serious...? Wouldn't that be danger-"

WHAP.

Sheik landed back on her two feet gracefully, sweeping her long blonde locks from her face. She had jumped up and launched a swift roundhouse that connected with Link's jaw. "Shut up, Otomi, before I hand your nuts to your woman in a jar." She said, simply and with a tone only Sheik could deliver. Link was whimpering on the floor. "Owiee..." He whined, and Zelda sighed, walking over to him.

Sheik began heading out, and Taior managed to clammer up from the ground, and rush over to her, and he clasped a hand onto her shoulder. "Hey, bitch, where do you think you're goin?" He said, in a cold cruel tone. Sheik paused, and laughed lowly.

She laid her hand on his, which was resting on her left shoulder. "Who..." She said, as her grasp tightened... "Are you calling a BITCH!?" She roared, as her eyes flared, and shadows burst out from around her, and she pressed him to the floor, as the shadows receded into her, and her eyes became a dull crimson again, and she smiled. "Now, stay away from me, or you'll die." She said, as Taior crumpled to the ground, twitching.

"Apparently something in the shadows caused him to crumple like that..." Julane said, as she sat upon a high wall, overlooking Sheik with Reseray. "Yes... it seems that Requaem's woman has regained control of her heart, and gained a resolve of steel... regaining her power." She said, staring at her intently with different colored eyes. "Remember that always, Julane, when you meet the man you love... a woman's heart, when uncontrolled, can limit, or make your powers untamed." She said, and Julane nodded. Too bad the man she loved... and Julane shook away the thought. "So, mother... you want me to accompany the Sheikah on her journey to find Requaem?" She asked, and Reseray nodded.

"Yes, I refuse to allow a Sheikah to reclaim my child without my family so much as raising a finger. And as Second Commander, I need to hold down things here with the Gerudo, and at home. So I'd like you to go." She said, and Julane nodded, jumping down from the wall.

As Sheik was walking, suddenly, a tan blur dropped in front of her, and Sheik instinctively lashed out at the figure with her chain, as it wrapped around the figure's neck. "Julane...? Why drop in so abruptly?" She asked coldly. Julane gasped, but showed no pain, and spoke no words, but grabbed the chain, and yanked on it sharply with immense strength, sending Sheik tumbling forward into a vicious uppercut.

With that blow, Sheik let go of the chain, and Julane rubbed her neck. "If you had given me a moment to speak, Sheikah..." She said, with the age old prejudice dripping from her teeth, "...Maybe you'd have known that I was about to help you." She said, and Sheik scowled. "Hell if I'd believe you... Gerudos are famous for their lies." She said, unsheathing a knife.

Suddenly, in a cold breeze, a hand lay itself on Sheik's shoulder, and Dyre dropped from seemingly nowhere and placed his large hand on Julane's skull.

"Stop fighting." The two people said, almost in unison. Sheik whirled around, and there stood a tall pale figure, with serene smooth skin, and pale blue eyes, and long white hair. Sheik was shocked. "Elder?" She asked. No one had seen the Sheikah Elder in many years, he had stayed locked away, observing everything and taking no actions. He drew in a long breath. "I have watched you, for a long time, Feraph..." He said, his breaths much akin to the wind, chilly and refreshing.

Sheik's eyes shot open.

"How... do you know my true name...?" She asked, and Elder smiled. "I... know a lot about you, Feraph... but... right now, your main concern is to... save Dark. Trouble yourself not with petty prejudices of race... and fight towards a common goal, to save the one you two both... care about." He said, and Dyre was drawing Julane's attention away from Sheik and Elder. "Did they hear my name?" She asked, and Elder shook his head. "No, they didn't. My words carry on the winds, and choose who may hear them... and right now, the only thing anyone else can hear is the rushin of the winds..." He said, and Sheik nodded, looking worried. No one was meant to know her true name... not until the prophesy was fufilled...

"Julane." Dyre said, sternly, and Julane looked at attention. "Yes, King?" and Dyre placed another hand on her other shoulder. "Requaem's been taken, by Chaos, it seems... and this is his love. I know Requaem better than any other out there, and if he was willing to choose a Sheik over a Gerudo, she must be a worthy enough person, to forsake his heritage." He said, and Julane nodded. "I don't know if I can work with her though... she sold out my brother! She betrayed my family's trust..." She said, and Dyre peered into her eyes, with his stoney dark ones.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is she's on our side. I can't speak much on it... but it's the Goddesses will that you two were put together to seek out and save Requaem. He's alive, but in the clutches of Chaos... and if Chaos had power enough to do such a thing, that means he's inhabiting a powerful body. Ganon's body." And Julance looked confused.

"Who's that?" She asked. Dyre sighed. "I was just told about all this... ok, you know Link, the Hero of Time, the one who's the foremost protector of the Royal Family?" Dyre asked, and Julane nodded. "Who doesn't know about him? He makes raiding Castle Town impossible." And Dyre nodded. "Ok, that doesn't matter. In a past life, the King of Thieves, Ganondorf, wormed his way into the Royal Family, posing as one of the King's Vassals. Once he gained the King's trust, he laid in wait. Then, Link approached the Temple of Time, where the Master Sword lay, and the door to the Sacred Realm. Ganon, sensing the three crystals that were key to opening the Door of Time, ran out Princess Zelda in her youth, and began his coup." Dyre said, pausing. "Then, with the Ocarina of Time, and all three crystals, he opened the Door of Time to claim the Master Sword, the only weapon to kill Ganon with. Little did he know that the Master Sword was the key that kept the door to the Sacred Realm locked, and he had opened it and stole the Triforce of Power. After that, he threw all of Hyrule under his dominion. Later, Link faced him, but lacked the power to defeat Ganon... whereas Dark actually managed to finish him and defeat him in both forms, human and bestial." And it all clicked in Julane's mind.

The memories of her past life flooded into her, and her pupils nearly closed all the way, as she receded into living another life. Then her pupils became normal, and she gasped, and had to regain her bearings. Dyre pat her on the shoulder. "No worries, just do your best, and try not to fight too much, ya?" He said, and she nodded, as the two gave each other a quick glance, and disappeared.

"When you need us..." Dyre said, his voice carrying in the air, "...We will arrive." Elder's voice finished. The two looked at each other with sideways glances, and said nothing, but marched onwards, blindly into the horizon, to recover the one they care about.

After about an hour of silent walking, the sun was inching it's way to the horizon to the left of them. "Uhm... Sheik?" And Sheik looked towards Julane. "How do we know where we're going?" She asked, and Julane blinked. "Uhh..." And she smiled sheepishly, while shrugging. Sheik slapped her palm to her forehead. "We're lost then..." She said, looking around them, seeing nothing but plains.


	29. The Shadow's Devil Returns

Julane sighed. "I was so busy competing with who could march better that I forgot what we were doing." She said, tucking her head between her legs. Sheik frowned.

"That makes two of us..." She said, pacing the rapidly darkening plains. Sheik began thinking... What would my moron of a boyfriend do? He usually has clever spur of the moment inspiration when the gray mass of brain he calls his own gets jarred by a kick in the head... So when she ended that thinking, the only person nearby was Julane, and she was related to Dark, in a distant sense, so maybe she was the same way...

"Julane, psssst..." Sheik said, and Julane looked up, and suddenly she was greeted by a boot. In the face. That sent her reeling onto her back, and into the dark ether of her subconscious. As she lay on her back, Sheik looked down at her. "Hmm..." She said, stroking her chin, her crimson eyes surveying her. She shrugged then, with a smile. "No good, I guess..." She said, and suddenly, Julane sat up.

"Hey, I just thought of something!" Julane said, as she stood up. Sheik blinked. _Does she remember I kicked her? _She thought, and decided to say nothing about it. "If you and Requaem are so close in affinity, figuring you're both related by shadow, can't you track him?" Julane asked, and it struck her. Why didn't she think of that?

"Yes, I can! That's how the Sheikah organize themselves without words, we sense each other's Shadow Threads... the threads of our spirits that linger and leave its mark on the spirit atmosphere." She said, and Julane rubbed her face.

"Why's my head hurt...?" She asked, and Sheik shrugged. "No idea, I think you fell asleep and hit your head on a rock..." She said, turning to hide snickers. "Anyways, though, let's get moving..." Sheik said, silently, as she wrapped her hair up, and her face up to her chin. Julane frowned.

"Why do you cover your face? You have such a pretty face, and hair... why hide it?" She said, tossing her own curly locks of crimson. Sheik glanced at her sideways.

"It's a Sheikah honor code... that's also why I wrap my chest..." She said, "Because if an opponent takes pity because of gender, and you win, it's a victory not won." She said, bluntly. Julane looked away.

"Our races are so different... if we can seduce an opponent and ensure victory... you do what is needed to win." She said, and Sheik looked at her funny. "Even if you have to have sex with them?" And Julane shook her head. "No, I don't, at least... there are a few sluts though, in the Gerudo Stronghold..." She said, shaking her head.

Sheik sighed. "Anyways... let's get going." She said, as she closed her eyes, holding her hands together, in traditional Sheikah fashion, as she began tracing the crying eye in the air, and she opened her eyes, which were completely white. Julane stumbled back.

"What the fuck!?" She said, and Sheik laughed. "Freaky, huh? This is how the Sheikah headhunters hunt bounties... this defies light and dark, and shows spirit traces... and outlines of inanimate objects without spirit, like stone." She said, as she began looking around.

She looked towards the ground. "Here's a trace... but it only vaguely resembles his... it looks warped... but the underlying spirit trace is Ishi's..." She said, and Julane looked at the ground, and saw nothing. "How's it warped?" She asked, and Sheik peered at it closer. "It looks like there's two other spirits entwined and smothering his spirit... it seems that when he was taken, instead of being killed... he was placed into submission, and is being brought somewhere at the combined power of some entity... probably Chaos and Ganon..." Sheik said.

She wrapped her hand around the trace, and lifted it from the dirt, and yanked. To Julane, it looked like she was a mime. "What, wrangling the invisible cattle?" Julane said, comically. Sheik scowled.

"Har har har." She said, as she gave a mighty yank. "No, just unearthing the trace..." She said, as she ran off after the newly unearthed spirit trace.

"Hey!" Julane yelled, running off after her. Shiek began pacing her breaths, and stretching her muscles as she pumped them full of shadow magic, strengthening them, and giving them power. Julane, on the other hand, could only run so fast as her human limits allowed her.

After a while, they found themselves standing at a pulsating ... rip, of some sort, floating in the air. Sheik took one look at it, and then had to close her eyes, and look away. She opened her eyes and they were normal colored. "That portal is resonating a high output of spirit energy... but it's silent... nearly impossible to sense." She said, as Julane looked on in disbelief.

"You don't think I'm jumping into that, do you?" She said, and Sheik smiled, and walked besides her.

"No, I'd never do that to someone like you. I mean, why would I do that to someone as close to me as you? I mean, one day, we'll be family." She said, as she grabbed her by the back of the neck, tripped her, and sent her flying into the portal.

Sheik stood there for a little while, staring at the portal. "Well, apparently she isn't dead... there was no scream of pain, no dust left behind from potential evisceration..." She said, surveying the portal. She then pulled out a knife, and poked it into the portal, and then removed it, whimsically. "Hm... no marks..." She said, looking at the knife thoroughly. Suddenly, an arm shot out of the portal, and clenched it's tan hand around Sheik's throat, and dragged her into the whirling vortex of violet.

Julane stood there, looking rather aggravated.

"Family, huh?" Julane growled, and Sheik laughed.

"But of course! Who else would trust a family member to venture off into the unknown and possibly risk their life?" She asked, and Julane scowled at her, age old prejudice creeping into her expression. Sheik glared back at her.

"What's with those eyes, huh?" Sheik asked, and Julane smiled wickedly, baring her teeth in a way that made Sheik feel... almost unsafe. "What's up with you...?" She asked, staring at Julane's eyes. There was something eerie about them... something malevolent in her topaz eyes.

Suddenly, Julane launched herself at Sheik, throwing a fist at her with speed and force Sheik didn't predict. Sheik immediately ducked, and threw her over herself, and jumped backwards, and surveyed her surroundings. This place...

Dead black trees reached skyward for some form of nourishment from the malevolent skies that boomed in laughter as thunder and lightning skirted the dark violet skies mockingly. This whole new dimension reeked of death, and despair, and even the soil beneath her gave off an unwelcome feeling, as if the soil would churn itself over, yielding it's deathly secrets. This place only hinted at in the tales of elders... was the Shadow Realm.

Looking at Julane who quickly got to her feet, Sheik spotted darkness trailing out of her eyes. Sheik stumbled back. Julane's eyes had been consumed by the twilight of Shadow Realm... consumed by a glowing topaz light as her skin became consumed by darkness.

"Julane, take control of yourself! You aren't trained in the resistance of the darkness! Don't allow it to consume you! Fight the hatred!" Sheik called out, as Julane began laughing hysterically, the darkness creeping over every inch of her body and clothes, leaving no shred of humanity behind.

"Assh, raast karra..." Julane hissed, and Sheik's eyes shot open. She was speaking... the language of darkness? Although it was closely related to Sheikah... it was ancient and arcane... and oft when spoke, brought ill things to those who's mouths uttered the language's fell words.

Sheik didn't understand... normally... the Shadow Realm was dormant... legends of old told that the Realm only churned out demons and blighted souls when true evil was being born... or existed... What was going on...? Sheik asked herself, as Julane gained a devilish grin that bore ebony pointed teeth.

"Hm... what have we here... two... _beautiful_... women." A mocking voice came from the gathering darkness as the skies darkened above two-fold. Sheik began casting magics of her kind to root out the source of this sound, but to no avail.

"Show yourself, coward." Sheik called out, and Julane crouched, keeping her glowing topaz eyes on Sheik. A mist of black swirled together next to Julane. "Should you desire a very... undesirable and... depreciating death... I'd advise that you hold that pretty tongue of yours, Sheikah." the same voice said, as a pair of dull gray eyes appeared from the black ether.

Then a body formed, wearing a long black cloak covering his body, only showing his snow white hair and his daunting grin. "Hello there, love... I'll please you later..." He said, as Julane purred abd rubbed her face against his leg as she clawed at his torso.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, SCUM!?" Sheik exclaimed, and the man giggled, as he grabbed Julane's hair and tugged her head back, as she yelped in what Sheik couldn't discern between pain or pleasure.

"Oh... her? I just took her as my little prize. Isn't she pretty...?" The man said, as he lifted her by her hair, and began gently kissing her neck. "Gerudo women... always have had a better taste than Hyrulian... but I can't say I've sampled Sheikah..." He said, tilting his head, licking his lips, as he threw Julane backwards, where she lay, whimpering at her master's actions.

"You didn't answer me..." Sheik growled. The man smiled sweetly at Sheik. "Nothing but taking her as my plaything... this darkness belongs to me, and a man within it is attempting to defy my authority. And conviently..." The man said, stepping towards Sheik, running a finger up her neck and to her chin.

"...We share the same interest." He said, inhaling from her collar upwards. Sheik slapped him sharply, and the man's expression changed abruptly, as his eyes shifted from a dull gray to a deep black.

"No woman..." He began, as he placed his hand on her throat, beginning to close his hand around it. Sheik was stunned from the amount of power he resonated it... he couldn't be mortal... there as something surreal about his power, even different from the power of chaos... this power wasn't of this world. It truly inspired fear into her, and she felt paralyzed. She couldn't move.

"Has ever... STRUCK ME!" He roared, as torrents of black energy swirled around the two, as Julane cowered in fear on the dead soil behind the man, and tornadoes and torrents of lightning were shot off in the distance.

Sheik felt as if her soul was being consumed by this show of power so close to her, and she felt the life leaving her eyes as everything darkened and faded... but suddenly life snapped back into her, causing her to gasp for air. The man was smiling.

"I commend you for your bravado." He said, with a twisted laugh. "I would enjoy it whole-heartedly if you were to pool your strength with mine, to fight our pitiful common enemy... who resorts to shortcuts to gain true power." The man said, backing away from Sheik, and sitting, as the soil churned upwards to form a throne of skulls and bones and dark soil, as Julane curled up besides him, rubbing her head against his leg.

"...Like I was saying before..." The man said, stroking Julane as if he was her pet. "I'm merely taking her as my own for the time being... no big deal, truly..." He said, and Sheik cocked a brow at this.

"Why would you need her?" She asked, and the man shrugged.

"Because, you don't have a choice at this point... you entered my domain, and since we're fighting the same fight... we'll be joining up. Either that, or I'll have my way with both of you, and drink deep from your veins." He said bluntly.

"I don't like your vagueness. What're you hiding?" She asked, and the man smiled.

"I like you. You've got the strongest soul I've seen next to that delectable gerudo woman I had spent a handful of years toying with..." He said with a smile. "Alright... since you apparently don't like to guess things, love..." He said, biting on one of his fingertips. "You wish to kill Ganon, to save your little man-toy. I want to kill Ganon, because as my son, he's flouting my authority by trying to harness the power to kill me. So, we're aiming for the same thing. Why not just get along... I'll try not to touch you or your friend... too much." He said, as he bit harder on his finger.

"I'm only holding her as collateral so you don't try anything... because although you won't admit it... you've wanted a sister. One that happens to fit this pretty little girly's persona." He said, playing with her ebony hair, affectionately, as she hissed something in a dark language to him, sounding almost desperate. "I'd love to dear, but I need to hold back... this affair of mine has nothing to do with that... I have a man to kill..." He said, and Sheik growled.

"What's your name, anyways?" She asked, and he smiled devilishly.

"Darac, King of Devils."


	30. Foreboding in the Shadows

Sheik stepped back from the man sitting upon his throne of bones. "Ganon's the son of a devil?" She asked, and Darac grinned in amusement as he pet Julane.

"Yes... apparently the fertilization of a woman with something as perverted in nature as a devil causes a little bit of deformation in appearance..." He said simply, and Sheik blinked stoically at the man. "He does take after me don't you think?" He said with a demented chuckle.

Sheik remained silent, for a few moments. "He's green... and you're pale white..." She said, and Darac smiled.

"I only appear as I do, because I will it so. I could show you my true self, but that wouldn't be a pleasing thing for your weak eyes. Do you really wish to be tormented everlastingly by knowing what the Devil looks like?" He said, and Sheik furrowed her brow.

"How do you figure?" She said, and Darac smiled simply at her, as he stood from his throne, and it crumbled at his feet as he strode towards her. "I'm far more powerful that any of you mere mortals can conceive... Gods tremble at my feet, and even the Goddesses stray from my path." He said with a dark tone, his eyes filled with a blackness that ran deep into his soul.

Sheik looked at him, stoically, unfazed by the King of Devils' claim of power. "Why do I doubt that the Goddess' that created you would fear you?" She said, and Darac smiled.

"Ah, sweet ignorance... I'm not of this world, I'm of an entirely different world, a fearsome and savage world, one that allows the weak to die and the strong to survive...Like me, I struggled to gain the very tainting of my soul... to become a being of true power... let me show you, love..." He said, stroking her face, as he ran a hand over his face, and it became the face of a person very close to her. But it wasn't Dark... it was someone different.

The face had gentle features, a smooth face, compassionate eyes of a crimson hue, much like hers. His hair was like hers as well, blonde, but long and straight.Suddenly though, the eyes became dark and dangerous, the expressions going from gentle to drawn and gaunt, fearsome and terrifying to Sheik. "Do you know who I am, Sheik?" The man rumbled, in a voice that resembled a person who she never thought she'd ever lay eyes upon, not even in her dreams. His face had become all but a blur to her, unrecognizable until this day, when it materialized in front of her by the will of the King of Devil's power.

"F-father..." She gasped, and suddenly his face disappeared, and was replaced by Darac's grinning face, which stood there, staring into Sheik's distant crimson eyes.

"See something you like, love?" He said, and Sheik stepped back from him, and turned away. "Never, show me that face ever again..." She said, and Darac smiled wickedly.

"Why not? I only showed you the face that you fear the most." He said, with a mad giggle. Sheik whirled around quickly, her hand closed on Darac's throat. It began burning with a purple vibrance.

"Because I'll kill you." She said, violently, disregarding that she was threatening an entity beyond her comprehension. Darac merely smiled with sharp, pointed teeth, and clenched his hand around hers, removing it forcefully from his neck, which was now marred with burns.

"Next time, I'll intensify that energy. I'll burn a hole straight through you and into your pitiful soul, tainted one." She said, as she turned. "Let's get moving, NOW, my patience wears thin." She said, and Darac laughed madly, at her courageousness.

"You have such unpredictable mood shifts. I wouldn't push your luck too much, because it may fall off the cliff, and smash into pieces like your dreams will, when I kill you for attacking me likethat ever again." He said, and he placed a hand on her head.

"I'll enjoy working with you, dearie." He said, and she swat his hand, and Darac snapped, and Julane purred blissfully and followed, floating on shadows that her body emanated, tendrils of black snaking through the air she passed through with, as if leaving her twisted mark on the already perverted atmosphere of this dark realm.

Off elsewhere...

A strange figure hopped branch to branch, wearing a long tattered faded black robe, long sleeves flowing behind the being, it's shirt tattered and pants ragged, as the flowing creature's presence passing through the air, left a crackling after-image of darkness.

It's white quadratical eyes peered through the darkness, a wide grin filled with pointed teeth shining in the darkness, the being's skin blackened and hiding from within the recess of it's robe's hood. "Daaaark? Where are you...?" The strange being hissed through the darkness gleefully. "I can only retain this form for so long, Dark... where are you?" It hissed through it's teeth again, as the being of pure darkness paused on a branch, looking at the skies.

"The shadows are fighting for you... refusing to serve these usurpers of the Shadow Realm. They don't belong here... They have no right to command us..." The shadow hissed, angrily, as it bounded off. "Only a true Shadow can be the King of Darkness... not a God that doesn't belong or the child of a tainted being exiled from a realm that never wanted him... only Shadows serve where the shadow lives." The being hissed, as it continued to bound through the forests, searching for Dark.

Eventually, the being sat at the base of a tree, tired from it's journey, after descending from a tree, as it watched the ground yield up a skeletal body, and it clambered to it's feet, and stumble towards the being, the skeletal pariah's red glaring eyes scanning the shadow being's body. The shadow being merely looked at it, squinting it's white eyes at this blemish on the land. Holding a hand out, towards it, an orb of darkness formed around it, and crushed it, with the clenching of the figure's hand.

"How our land has suffered, Dark, and how little of it do you remember. Ganon destroyed your memory when he created you, into a human form, Daaaark..." It said, as the being closed it's eyes, it's pointed grin folding into a frown. "I remember though... I remember when this Dark Realm was a paradise for us beings of darkness..." The shadow uttered lowly.

"This land, although it was a polarity of the Light Realm, was still a blissful existence for us. For countless centuries, all we had was this blighted land... but we loved it. It was created for us dark blemishes on the face of light... because the Goddesses couldn't stand seeing us on their cherished land... so they created us a paradise befitting our lifestyles. But then they dumped Ganondorf onto our land..." The being hissed through gritted teeth.

"...He defiled our sacred soil... he killed numerous of our denizens, our animals, anything he could get his hands on... and blighted our land. Perverted it, and created monsters even our people feared..." The creature sighed. "Dark was yanked straight from his cradle as a Shadow, before this happened though... and was forced into a form that wasn't his, and removed his identity... he never got to know his true homeland, his true identity..." The being said, it's form burning with dark energies, in anger.

"So many of our kind died! We were forced into hiding in the shadow of the land, but even then, we die day by day as the land dies because of Ganon, even though we've forsaken our forms to live, to live long enough to somehow fight to take our land back, and ..." The figure said once more, jumping to it's feet, as it shot off.

"I'm going to find you, Daaark..." The figure began muttering, "... And this time, we'll return our land back to the way it should be, under our rule..."

"How sweet." Darac said, whilst walking with Sheik and Julane. "What?" Sheik asked, and Darac grinned. "Oh, nothing."

"Just listening to the land..." He finished, as he laughed.


End file.
